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Numbers 20:1-27
New King James Version
Numbers 20:1-27
New King James Version
Moses’ Error at Kadesh(A)
20 Then(B) the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in (C)Kadesh; and (D)Miriam died there and was buried there.
2 (E)Now there was no water for the congregation; (F)so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people (G)contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died (H)when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 (I)Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and (J)they [a]fell on their faces. And (K)the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 (L)“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus (M)you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod (N)from before the Lord as He commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, (O)“Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; (P)and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because (Q)you did not believe Me, to (R)hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
13 (S)This was the water of [b]Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.
Passage Through Edom Refused
14 (T)Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of (U)Edom. (V)“Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 (W)how our fathers went down to Egypt, (X)and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, (Y)and the Egyptians [c]afflicted us and our fathers. 16 (Z)When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and (AA)sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 17 Please (AB)let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’ ”
18 Then (AC)Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”
19 So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, (AD)then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”
20 Then he said, (AE)“You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom (AF)refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel (AG)turned away from him.
Death of Aaron
22 Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from (AH)Kadesh (AI)and came to Mount Hor. 23 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 “Aaron shall [d]be (AJ)gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. 25 (AK)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; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 20:6 prostrated themselves
- Numbers 20:13 Lit. Contention
- Numbers 20:15 did evil to
- Numbers 20:24 Die and join his ancestors
Numbers 20:1-27
New International Version
Numbers 20:1-27
New International Version
Water From the Rock
20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin,(A) and they stayed at Kadesh.(B) There Miriam(C) died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water(D) for the community,(E) and the people gathered in opposition(F) to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled(G) with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead(H) before the Lord!(I) 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness,(J) that we and our livestock should die here?(K) 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.(L) And there is no water to drink!(M)”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting(N) and fell facedown,(O) and the glory of the Lord(P) appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff,(Q) and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.(R) You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff(S) from the Lord’s presence,(T) just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together(U) in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”(V) 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water(W) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy(X) in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”(Y)
13 These were the waters of Meribah,[a](Z) where the Israelites quarreled(AA) with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.(AB)
Edom Denies Israel Passage
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh(AC) to the king of Edom,(AD) saying:
“This is what your brother Israel says: You know(AE) about all the hardships(AF) that have come on us. 15 Our ancestors went down into Egypt,(AG) and we lived there many years.(AH) The Egyptians mistreated(AI) us and our ancestors, 16 but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry(AJ) and sent an angel(AK) and brought us out of Egypt.(AL)
“Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.(AM) 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.(AN)”
18 But Edom(AO) answered:
“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.(AP)”
19 The Israelites replied:
“We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock(AQ) drink any of your water, we will pay for it.(AR) We only want to pass through on foot—nothing else.”
20 Again they answered:
“You may not pass through.(AS)”
Then Edom(AT) came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory,(AU) Israel turned away from them.(AV)
The Death of Aaron
22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh(AW) and came to Mount Hor.(AX) 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom,(AY) the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his people.(AZ) He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command(BA) at the waters of Meribah.(BB) 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor.(BC) 26 Remove Aaron’s garments(BD) and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people;(BE) he will die there.”
27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor(BF) in the sight of the whole community.
Footnotes
- Numbers 20:13 Meribah means quarreling.
Numbers 33:38-39
New King James Version
Numbers 33:38-39
New King James Version
38 Then (A)Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.
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Numbers 33:38-39
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Numbers 33:38-39
New International Version
Numbers 20:28-21:35
New King James Version
Numbers 20:28-21:35
New King James Version
28 (A)Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and (B)Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron (C)thirty days.
Canaanites Defeated at Hormah
21 The (D)king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. 2 (E)So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then (F)I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called [a]Hormah.
The Bronze Serpent
4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to (G)go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very [b]discouraged on the way. 5 And the people (H)spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul [c]loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So (I)the Lord sent (J)fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
7 (K)Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have (L)sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; (M)pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, (N)“Make a (O)fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So (P)Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
From Mount Hor to Moab
10 Now the children of Israel moved on and (Q)camped in Oboth. 11 And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at [d]Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 (R)From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for (S)the 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:
[e]“Waheb in Suphah,
The brooks of the Arnon,
15 And the slope of the brooks
That reaches to the dwelling of (T)Ar,
And lies on the border of Moab.”
16 From there they went (U)to Beer, which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17 (V)Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well!
All of you sing to it—
18 The well the leaders sank,
Dug by the nation’s nobles,
By the (W)lawgiver, with their staves.”
And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the [f]country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks (X)down on the [g]wasteland.
King Sihon Defeated(Y)
21 Then (Z)Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 (AA)“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 (AB)But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together and [h]went out against Israel in the wilderness, (AC)and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then (AD)Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. 25 So Israel took all these cities, and Israel (AE)dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore those who speak in [i]proverbs say:
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built;
Let the city of Sihon be repaired.
28 “For (AF)fire went out from Heshbon,
A flame from the city of Sihon;
It consumed (AG)Ar of Moab,
The lords of the (AH)heights of the Arnon.
29 Woe to you, (AI)Moab!
You have perished, O people of (AJ)Chemosh!
He has given his (AK)sons as fugitives,
And his (AL)daughters into captivity,
To Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 “But we have shot at them;
Heshbon has perished (AM)as far as Dibon.
Then we laid waste as far as Nophah,
Which reaches to (AN)Medeba.”
31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 Then Moses sent to [j]spy out (AO)Jazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
King Og Defeated(AP)
33 (AQ)And they turned and went up by the way to (AR)Bashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle (AS)at Edrei. 34 Then the Lord said to Moses, (AT)“Do not fear him, for I have [k]delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and (AU)you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.” 35 (AV)So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land.
Footnotes
- Numbers 21:3 Lit. Utter Destruction
- Numbers 21:4 impatient
- Numbers 21:5 detests
- Numbers 21:11 Lit. The Heaps of Abarim
- Numbers 21:14 Ancient unknown places; Vg. What He did in the Red Sea
- Numbers 21:20 Lit. field
- Numbers 21:20 Heb. Jeshimon
- Numbers 21:23 attacked
- Numbers 21:27 parables
- Numbers 21:32 secretly search
- Numbers 21:34 given you victory over him
Numbers 20:28-21:35
New International Version
Numbers 20:28-21:35
New International Version
28 Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar.(A) And Aaron died there(B) 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,(C) all the Israelites mourned for him(D) thirty days.
Arad Destroyed
21 When the Canaanite king of Arad,(E) who lived in the Negev,(F) 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(G) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy[a](H) their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites(I) over to them. They completely destroyed them(J) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.[b](K)
The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor(L) along the route to the Red Sea,[c](M) to go around Edom.(N) But the people grew impatient on the way;(O) 5 they spoke against God(P) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt(Q) to die in the wilderness?(R) There is no bread! There is no water!(S) And we detest this miserable food!”(T)
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(U) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(V) 7 The people came to Moses(W) and said, “We sinned(X) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord(Y) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed(Z) for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;(AA) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake(AB) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.(AC)
The Journey to Moab
10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.(AD) 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the wilderness that faces Moab(AE) toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley.(AF) 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon(AG), which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.(AH) 14 That is why the Book of the Wars(AI) 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(AJ)
and lie along the border of Moab.”
16 From there they continued on to Beer,(AK) the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:(AL)
“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(AM) overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers(AN) to say to Sihon(AO) king of the Amorites:(AP)
22 “Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.(AQ)”
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory.(AR) He mustered his entire army and marched out into the wilderness against Israel. When he reached Jahaz,(AS) he fought with Israel.(AT) 24 Israel, however, put him to the sword(AU) and took over his land(AV) from the Arnon to the Jabbok,(AW) but only as far as the Ammonites,(AX) because their border was fortified. 25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites(AY) and occupied them,(AZ) including Heshbon(BA) and all its surrounding settlements. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon(BB) king of the Amorites,(BC) who had fought against the former king of Moab(BD) and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.(BE)
27 That is why the poets say:
“Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt;
let Sihon’s city be restored.
28 “Fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon.(BF)
It consumed(BG) Ar(BH) of Moab,
the citizens of Arnon’s heights.(BI)
29 Woe to you, Moab!(BJ)
You are destroyed, people of Chemosh!(BK)
He has given up his sons as fugitives(BL)
and his daughters as captives(BM)
to Sihon king of the Amorites.
30 “But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon’s dominion has been destroyed all the way to Dibon.(BN)
We have demolished them as far as Nophah,
which extends to Medeba.(BO)”
31 So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.(BP)
32 After Moses had sent spies(BQ) to Jazer,(BR) the Israelites captured its surrounding settlements and drove out the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up along the road toward Bashan(BS),(BT) and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei.(BU)
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.(BV)”
35 So they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors.(BW) And they took possession of his land.(BX)
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
Numbers 33:48-49
New King James Version
Numbers 33:48-49
New King James Version
48 They departed from the mountains of Abarim and (A)camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan, from Beth Jesimoth as far as the (B)Abel Acacia Grove[a] in the plains of Moab.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 33:49 Heb. Abel Shittim
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