1. In the first month, the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael arrived at the wilderness of Zin. The people stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2. Now there was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron.
3. The people quarreled with Moses saying, “If only we had died when our brothers died before Adonai!
4. Now why have you brought the community of Adonai into this wilderness, for us and our livestock to die here?
5. Why have you brought us from Egypt to bring us to this evil place—a place without grain, fig, grapevine or pomegranate—and there’s no water to drink!”
6. So Moses and Aaron went from before the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of Adonai appeared to them.
7. Adonai spoke to Moses saying,
8. “Take the staff and gather the assembly, you and your brother Aaron. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will give out its water. You will bring out water from the rock, and you will give the community something to drink, along with their livestock.”
9. So Moses took the staff from before the presence of Adonai, just as He had commanded him.
10. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock. He said, “Listen now, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?”
11. Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with the staff. Water gushed out and the community and its livestock drank.
12. But Adonai said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in Me so as to esteem Me as holy in the eyes of Bnei-Yisrael, therefore you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given to them.”
13. These are the waters of Meribah where Bnei-Yisrael contended with Moses, and where Adonai showed Himself holy among them.
14. Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother, Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that came on us.