Numbers 19-20

GOD’S WORD Translation

Water That Makes Israel Clean After Someone Dies

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “This is what the Lord’s teachings have commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red cow that is perfect, with no defects. Also, it must never have worn a yoke.^{[a] 3} Give it to the priest Eleazar. It must be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. ⁴ The priest Eleazar will take some of the blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. ⁵ Then the entire cow (the skin, meat, blood, and excrement) will be burned while he watches. ⁶ The priest will take some cedar wood, a hyssop sprig, and some red yarn and throw them onto the burning cow. ⁷ The priest must then wash his clothes and his body. After that, he may go into the camp. But he will be unclean ^[b] until evening. ⁸ The person who burned the calf must also wash his clothes and his body. He, too, will be unclean until evening.

⁹ “A man who is clean ^[c] will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. They will be kept by the community of Israel and used in the water that takes away uncleanness. The cow is an offering for sin. ¹⁰ The person who collected the ashes from the cow must also wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. This will be a permanent law for the Israelites and for the foreigners who live with them.

¹¹ “Whoever touches the dead body of any human being will be unclean for seven days. ¹² The unclean person must use this water on the third day and the seventh day to take away his sin. Then he will be clean. But if he doesn’t use this water on the third day and the seventh day, he will not be clean. ¹³ Whoever touches the dead body of a human being and doesn’t use this water to take away his sin makes the Lord’s tent unclean. That person must be excluded from Israel, because the water that takes away uncleanness wasn’t sprinkled on him. He is unclean; his uncleanness stays with him.

¹⁴ “These are your instructions for when a person dies in a tent: Everyone who goes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent will be unclean for seven days. ¹⁵ Every container without a lid fastened on it is unclean.

¹⁶ “Whoever is outdoors and touches someone who was killed or has died naturally or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave will be unclean for seven days.

¹⁷ “⌞This is what you must do⌟ for people who become unclean from touching a dead body. Put some of the ashes from the red cow that was burned as an offering for sin into a container. Then pour fresh water on them. ¹⁸ A person who is clean will take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and all the people who were in the tent ⌞with the dead body⌟. He must also sprinkle any person who has touched a human bone or a grave and any person who has touched someone who has been killed or who has died naturally. ¹⁹ A person who is clean will sprinkle these types of unclean people on the third day and the seventh day. On the seventh day the clean person will finish taking away their sins. Then they must wash their clothes and bodies, and in the evening they will be clean. ²⁰ But if the person who becomes unclean doesn’t have his sin taken away, that person must be excluded from the assembly. He has made the holy place of the Lord unclean. The water to take away uncleanness wasn’t sprinkled on him. He is unclean. ²¹ This will be a permanent law for them.

“Whoever sprinkles the water to take away uncleanness must wash his clothes. And whoever touches this water will be unclean until evening. ²² Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and the person who touches it will be unclean until evening.”

Water from the Rock

20 In the first month the whole community of Israel came into the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

² Since the community was without water, they came together to confront Moses and Aaron. ³ The people complained to Moses and said, “If only we had died when the other Israelites died in the Lord’s presence! ⁴ Did you bring the Lord’s assembly into this desert just to have us and our animals die here? ⁵ Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us into this terrible place? This is no place to plant crops. Even figs, grapes, and pomegranates won’t grow here. And there’s no water to drink!”

⁶ Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting. Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ⁸ “Take your staff, then you and your brother Aaron gather the community. Right before their eyes, tell the rock to give up its water. In this way you will give the community water from the rock for them and their animals to drink.”

⁹ Moses took his staff out of ⌞the tent in⌟ the Lord’s presence as he had been commanded. ¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock and said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?” ¹¹ Moses raised his hand and hit the rock twice with the staff. Water came pouring out, and all the people and their animals drank.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “You didn’t trust me! You didn’t show the Israelites how holy I am! So you will not bring this congregation into the land I’m giving them.”

¹³ This was the oasis of Meribah [Complaining], where the Israelites complained about the Lord and where he showed them he was holy.

Edom Refuses to Allow Israel to Pass through Its Territory

¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. He said, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardships we’ve had. ¹⁵ Our ancestors went to Egypt, and we lived there for many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors. ¹⁶ When we cried out to the Lord, he heard us, sent a messenger, and brought us out of Egypt.

“Now we’re here in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. ¹⁷ Please let us go through your country. We won’t go through any of your fields or vineyards, or drink any of the water from your wells. We’ll stay on the king’s highway and never leave it until we’ve passed through your territory.”

¹⁸ But the Edomites answered, “You may not pass through our country. If you try, we’ll come out and attack you.”

¹⁹ The Israelites replied, “We’ll stay on the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we’ll pay for it. We want to pass through on foot. That’s all.”

²⁰ But the Edomites said, “You may not pass through.” Then they came out and attacked with many well-armed troops. ²¹ Since the Edomites refused to let Israel go through their territory, the Israelites turned around and went a different way.

Aaron’s Death

²² The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. ²³ At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²⁴ “Aaron must now join his ancestors ⌞in death⌟, since he cannot enter the land I’m giving the Israelites. This is because you both rebelled against my command at the oasis of Meribah. ²⁵ Bring Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor. ²⁶ Take off Aaron’s priestly clothes, and put them on his son Eleazar. Then Aaron will die there and join ⌞his ancestors⌟.”

²⁷ Moses did as the Lord commanded. The whole community saw them go up on Mount Hor. ²⁸ Moses took off Aaron’s priestly clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹ The whole community saw that Aaron had died, and all the Israelites mourned for Aaron 30 days.