Numbers 20:2-13
New King James Version
2 (A)Now there was no water for the congregation; (B)so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people (C)contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died (D)when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 (E)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 (F)they [a]fell on their faces. And (G)the glory of the Lord appeared to them.
7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 (H)“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 (I)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 (J)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, (K)“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; (L)and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because (M)you did not believe Me, to (N)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 (O)This was the water of [b]Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 20:6 prostrated themselves
- Numbers 20:13 Lit. Contention
Numbers 20:2-13
21st Century King James Version
2 And there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people chided Moses and spoke, saying, “Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!
4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
5 And why have ye made us to come up out of Egypt to bring us in unto this evil place? It is no place of seed or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.”
6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces; and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.
7 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
8 “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.”
9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them: “Hear now, ye rebels! Must we fetch you water out of this rock?”
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice; and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
12 And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron: “Because ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”
13 This is the water of Meribah [that is, Strife], because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and He was sanctified in them.
Read full chapterScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.