Numbers 20

Wycliffe Bible

20 And the sons of Israel and all the multitude came into the desert of Zin, in the first month. And the people dwelled in Kadesh; and Marie was dead there, and buried in the same place. (And so the Israelites and all the multitude came into the wilderness of Zin, in the first month. And the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.)

² And when the people had need to water (And when the people needed water), they went together against Moses and Aaron;

³ and they were turned into dissension, that is, rebelty and striving (that is, rebellion and strife), and said, We would that we had perished among our brethren before the Lord.

⁴ Why have ye led out the church of the Lord into wilderness, that both we and our beasts die (here)? (Why have ye led out the Lord’s congregation into this wilderness, so that both we and our beasts shall die here?)

⁵ Why have ye made us to go up from Egypt, and have brought us into this worst place, which may not be sown, which neither bringeth forth fig trees, nor vines, neither pomegranates; furthermore and it hath not water to drink? (and furthermore there is no water to drink!)

⁶ And when the multitude was left, Moses and Aaron entered into the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace, and they fell down low upon the earth, and they cried to God, and said, Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to them thy treasure, a well of quick water, that when they be filled, the grouching of them cease. And the glory of the Lord appeared upon them; (And they left the multitude, and Moses and Aaron entered into the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and they fell down on the ground, and they cried out to God, and said, Lord God, hear the cry of these people, and open thy treasure to them, yea, a well of fresh water, so that when they be filled, their grumbling shall cease. And the glory of the Lord appeared above them;)

⁷ and the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

⁸ Take the rod of Aaron, and gather together the people, thou, and Aaron thy brother; and speak ye to the stone before them, and it shall give out waters. And when thou hast led water out of the stone, all the multitude shall drink, and their beasts thereof. (Take the staff, and gather together the people, thou, and thy brother Aaron; and speak ye to the stone before them, and it shall give out water. And when thou hast led out water from the stone, all the multitude and their beasts shall drink it.)

⁹ Therefore Moses took the rod that was in the sight of the Lord, as the Lord commanded to him, (And so Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him,)

¹⁰ when the multitude was gathered before the stone; and he said to them, Hear ye, rebel[s], and unbelieveful; whether we may bring out of this stone water to you? (and when the multitude was gathered in front of the stone, Moses said to them, Listen, ye rebels and unbelievers; must we get water out of this stone for you?)

¹¹ And when Moses had raised his hand, and had smitten the flint twice with the rod, most large waters went out, so that the people drank, and their beasts. (And when Moses had raised up his hand, and had struck the rock twice with the staff, a great deal of water came out, so that the people drank, and also their beasts.)

¹² And the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, For ye believed not to me, that ye should hallow me before the sons of Israel (For ye did not believe me, and uphold my holiness before the Israelites), ye shall not lead these peoples into the land which I shall give to them.

¹³ This is the water of against-saying; there the sons of Israel strived against the Lord, and he was hallowed in them. (This is the water of Meribah; there the Israelites complained against the Lord, but he was still holy before them.)

¹⁴ In the meantime Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, the which (messengers) said, Israel thy brother, sendeth these things to thee. Thou knowest all the travail that hath taken us,

¹⁵ how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelled there much time, and (the) Egyptians tormented us, and our fathers (as well);

¹⁶ and how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel that [hath] led us out of Egypt. And lo! we be set in the city of Kadesh, that is in thine uttermost coasts (that is on thy most distant border),

¹⁷ and we beseech thee that it be leaveful to us to pass through thy land; we shall not go by thy fields, neither by thy vineries, neither we shall drink waters of thy wells; but we shall go in the common way, and we shall not bow to the right side, neither to the left side, till we pass thy terms. (and we beseech thee that it be lawful for us to pass through thy land; we shall not go into thy fields, or into thy vineyards, and we shall not drink any water from thy wells; but we shall go on the common way, and we shall not turn to the right side, or to the left side, till we go out again over thy border.)

¹⁸ To whom Edom answered, Ye shall not pass by me, else I shall be armed, and come against thee. (To whom the Edomites answered, Ye shall not pass through our land, and if ye try, we shall be armed, and shall come out against thee.)

¹⁹ And the sons of Israel said, We shall go by the way commonly used, and if we and our beasts drink thy waters, we shall give that that is just; no hardness shall be in the price, only pass we in haste (we will have no difficulty to pay you for it; but just let us quickly pass through thy land).

²⁰ And he answered, Ye shall not pass by me. And anon he went out against Israel, with a multitude without number, and [with a] strong hand/and with strong power, (And they answered, Ye shall not pass through our land. And at once the Edomites went out against Israel, in a multitude without number, and with mighty power,)

²¹ neither he would assent to Israel beseeching, that he should grant passage by his coasts. (for they would not agree to Israel’s beseeching, to grant them passage through their land.)

²² Wherefore Israel turned away from him. And when Israel had moved their tents from Kadesh, they came into the hill of Hor, (And so Israel turned, and went by another way. And when they had moved on from Kadesh, they came to Mount Hor,)

²³ which is in the ends of the land of Edom (which is near Edom’s border); where the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

²⁴ Aaron (shall) go to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I gave to the sons of Israel, for he was unbelieveful to my word, at the waters of against-saying. (Aaron shall now go to his people, that is, he shall die; for he shall not enter into the land which I gave to the Israelites, for he did not believe my word at the waters of Meribah.)

²⁵ Take thou Aaron, and his son with him, and thou shalt lead them into the hill of Hor (and lead thou them up onto Mount Hor);

²⁶ and when thou hast made naked the father of his cloth (and when thou hast made stripped the father of his priestly cloak, or robe), thou shalt clothe therewith Eleazar, his son, and Aaron shall be gathered (to his people), and shall die there.

²⁷ And Moses did as the Lord commanded; and they ascended into the hill of Hor, before all the multitude (and they went up onto Mount Hor, in the sight of all the multitude).

²⁸ And when Moses had made naked Aaron of his clothes, he clothed with those Eleazar, his son. Soothly when Aaron was dead in the top of the hill, Moses came down with Eleazar. (And when Moses had stripped Aaron of his priestly clothes, he clothed Aaron’s son Eleazar with them. And then, after that Aaron had died there on the mountain-top, Moses came down with Eleazar.)

²⁹ Soothly all the multitude saw that Aaron was dead, and it wept upon him thirty days, by all their families. (And all the multitude saw that Aaron had died, and all the families wept over him for thirty days.)