5. Egypt was better than this horrible place. At least there we had grain and figs and grapevines and pomegranates. But now we don't even have any water.”
6. Moses and Aaron went to the entrance to the sacred tent, where they bowed down. The Lord appeared to them in all his glory
7-8. and said, “Moses, get your walking stick. Then you and Aaron call the people together and command that rock to give you water. That's how you will provide water for the people of Israel and their livestock.”
9. Moses obeyed and took his stick from the sacred tent.
10. After he and Aaron had gathered the people around the rock, he said, “Look, you rebellious people, and you will see water flow from this rock!”
11. He raised his stick in the air and struck the rock two times. At once, water gushed from the rock, and the people and their livestock had water to drink.
12. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you refused to believe in my power, these people did not respect me. And so, you will not be the ones to lead them into the land I have promised.”
13. The Israelites had complained against the Lord, and he had shown them his holy power by giving them water to drink. So they named the place Meribah, which means “Complaining”.
14. Moses sent messengers from Israel's camp near Kadesh with this message for the king of Edom:We are Israelites, your own relatives, and we're sure you have heard the terrible things that have happened to us.
15. Our ancestors settled in Egypt and lived there a long time. But later the Egyptians were cruel to us,