Num 20
1
And the children of Israel, and all the multitude came into the desert of Sin, in
the first month: and the people abode in Cades. And Mary died there, and was buried
in the same place.
2
And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron:
3
And making a sedition, they said: Would God we had perished among our brethren before
the Lord.
4
Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we
and our cattle should die?
5
Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us into this wretched
place which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates,
neither is there any water to drink?
6
And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant,
and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord God, hear the
cry of this people, and open to them thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that
being satisfied, they may cease to murmur. And the glory of the Lord appeared over
them.
7
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
8
Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak
to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth
water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink.
9
Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him,
10
And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear,
ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock?
11
And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rook twice with the rod, there
came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank,
12
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify
me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land,
which I will give them.
13
This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words
against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
14
In the mean time Moses sent messengers from Cades to the king of Edom, to say: Thus
saith thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the labour that hath come upon us:
15
In what manner our fathers went down into Egypt, and there we dwelt a long time, and
the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.
16
And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel, who hath brought
us out of Egypt. Lo, we are now in the city of Cades, which is in the uttermost of
thy borders,
17
And we beseech thee that we may have leave to pass through thy country. We will not
go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, we will not drink the waters of
thy wells, but we will go by the common highway, neither turning aside to the right
hand, nor to the left, till we are past thy borders.
18
And Edom answered them: Thou shalt not pass by me: if thou dost I will come out armed
against thee.
19
And the children of Israel said: We will go by the beaten way: and if we and our cattle
drink of thy waters, we will give thee what is just: there shall be no difficulty
in the price, only let us pass speedily.
20
But he answered: Thou shalt not pass. And immediately he came forth to meet them with
an infinite multitude, and a strong hand,
21
Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage through his borders.
Wherefore Israel turned another way from him.
22
And when they had removed the camp from Cades, they came to mount Her, which is in
the borders of the land of Edom:
23
Where the Lord spoke to Moses:
24
Let Aaron, saith he, go to his people: for he shall not go into the land which I have
given the children of Israel, because he was incredulous to my words, at the waters
of contradiction.
25
Take Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into mount Hor:
26
And when thou hast stripped the father of his vesture, thou shalt vest therewith Eleazar
his son: Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and die there.
27
Moses did as the Lord had commanded: and they went up into mount Hor before all the
multitude.
28
And when he had stripped Aaron of his vestments, he vested Eleazar his son with them.
29
And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, he came down with Eleazar.
30
And all the multitude seeing that Aaron was dead, mourned for him thirty days throughout
all their families.