Num 20:4-21 | ESV | STEP | Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness , that we should die here , both we and our cattle ?

4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5 And ^awhy have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and ^bfell on their faces. ^cAnd the glory of the Lord appeared to them, 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 ^d“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So ^eyou shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff ^ffrom before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Moses Strikes the Rock

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, ^g“Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, ^hand water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because ⁱyou did not believe in me, ^jto uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 ^kThese are the waters of Meribah, ^{▼▼ Meribah means quarreling} where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.

Edom Refuses Passage

14 ^mMoses sent messengers from Kadesh to ⁿthe king of Edom: “Thus says ^oyour brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: 15 ^phow our fathers went down to Egypt, ^qand we lived in Egypt a long time. ^rAnd the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. 16 And ^swhen we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and ^tsent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17 ^uPlease let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, ^vor drink water from a well. 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 But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.” 19 And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, ^wand if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, ^xthen I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20 But he said, ^y“You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. 21 Thus Edom ^zrefused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel ^aaturned away from him.