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Numbers 20:22-21:20
English Standard Version
Numbers 20:22-21:20
English Standard Version
The Death of Aaron
22 And they journeyed from (A)Kadesh, and the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came to (B)Mount Hor. 23 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, 24 (C)“Let Aaron be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel, because (D)you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor. 26 And strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron (E)shall be gathered to his people and shall die there.” 27 Moses did as the Lord commanded. And they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 (F)And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there (G)on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, (H)all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.
Arad Destroyed
21 When (I)the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in (J)the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2 (K)And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”[a] 3 And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called (L)Hormah.[b]
The Bronze Serpent
4 From Mount Hor (M)they set out by the way to the Red Sea, (N)to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people (O)spoke against God and against Moses, (P)“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and (Q)we loathe this worthless food.” 6 (R)Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and (S)they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 (T)And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. (U)Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So (V)Moses made a bronze[c] serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
The Song of the Well
10 And the people of Israel set out and (W)camped in Oboth. 11 (X)And they set out from Oboth and (Y)camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they set out and camped in (Z)the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the (AA)Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
“Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15 and the slope of the valleys
that extends to the seat of (AB)Ar,
and leans to the border of Moab.”
16 And from there they continued (AC)to Beer;[d] that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so that (AD)I may give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!—
18 the well that the princes made,
that the nobles of the people dug,
with (AE)the scepter and with their staffs.”
And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah, 19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah (AF)that looks down on the desert.[e]
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:2 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verse 3
- Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction
- Numbers 21:9 Or copper
- Numbers 21:16 Beer means well
- Numbers 21:20 Or Jeshimon
Numbers 20:22-21:20
New International Version
Numbers 20:22-21:20
New International Version
The Death of Aaron
22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh(A) and came to Mount Hor.(B) 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom,(C) the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people.(D) He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command(E) at the waters of Meribah.(F) 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.(G) 26 Remove Aaron’s garments(H) and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people;(I) he will die there.”
27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor(J) in the sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar.(K) And Aaron died there(L) on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died,(M) all the Israelites mourned for him(N) thirty days.
Arad Destroyed
21 When the Canaanite king of Arad,(O) who lived in the Negev,(P) heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow(Q) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[a](R) their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(S) over to them. They completely destroyed them(T) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[b](U)
The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor(V) along the route to the Red Sea,[c](W) to go around Edom.(X) But the people grew impatient on the way;(Y) 5 they spoke against God(Z) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt(AA) to die in the wilderness?(AB) There is no bread! There is no water!(AC) And we detest this miserable food!”(AD)
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(AE) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(AF) 7 The people came to Moses(AG) and said, “We sinned(AH) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord(AI) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed(AJ) for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;(AK) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake(AL) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.(AM)
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.(AN) 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab(AO) toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.(AP) 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon(AQ), which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.(AR) 14 That is why the Book of the Wars(AS) of the Lord says:
“. . . Zahab[d] in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon 15 and[e] the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the settlement of Ar(AT)
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 From there they continued on to Beer,(AU) the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:(AV)
“Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18 about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs.”
Then they went from the wilderness to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah(AW) overlooks the wasteland.
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 3.
- Numbers 21:3 Hormah means destruction.
- Numbers 21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Numbers 21:14 Septuagint; Hebrew Waheb
- Numbers 21:15 Or “I have been given from Suphah and the ravines / of the Arnon 15 to
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.