Num 20:4-21 | NASB1995 | STEP | “ Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness , for us and our beasts to die here ?

Numbers 20:4-21

4 ^a“Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die ^{▼▼ Lit there}here? 5 “Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? ^cIt is not a place of ^{▼▼ Lit seed}grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and ^efell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them; 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

The Water of Meribah

8 “Take ^fthe rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

9 So Moses took the rod ^gfrom before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, ^h“Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and ⁱwater came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ^j“Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 Those were the waters of ^{▼▼ I.e. contention
,} ^lMeribah, ^{▼▼ Or where}because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

14 From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to ⁿthe king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You ^oknow all the hardship that has befallen us; 15 that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly. 16 ‘But ^pwhen we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent ^qan angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17 ‘Please ^rlet us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway, not turning to the right or left, until we pass through your territory.’”

18 ^sEdom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through ^{▼▼ Lit me}us, or I will come out with the sword against you.” 19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and ^umy livestock do drink any of your water, ^vthen I will ^{▼▼ Lit give}pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, ^{▼▼ Or no great thing}nothing else.” 20 But he said, ^y“You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against him with a heavy ^{▼▼ Lit people}force and with a strong hand. 21 ^aaThus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; ^abso Israel turned away from him.