Numbers · Catholic Public Domain Version
Numbers 20 Catholic Public Domain Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
- The translator's footnotes, cross-references, chapter summaries and book introductions in the CrossWire module are not shown.
- No imprimatur; single translator.
1 And the sons of Israel, and the entire multitude, went into the desert of Sin, in the first month. And the people stayed at Kadesh. And Miriam died there, and she was buried in the same place.
1 The children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month. The people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2 And when the people were in need of water, they came together against Moses and Aaron.
2 There was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And as it turned into sedition, they said: “If only we had perished among our brothers in the sight of the Lord.
3 The people quarreled with Moses, and spoke, saying, “We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh!
4 Why have you led away the Church of the Lord, into the wilderness, so that both we and our cattle would die?
4 Why have you brought Yahweh’s assembly into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?
5 Why did you cause us to ascend from Egypt, and why have you led us into this most wretched place, which is not able to be sown, which does not produce figs, or vines, or pomegranates, and which, moreover, does not even have water to drink?”
5 Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.”
6 And Moses and Aaron, dismissing the multitude, entered the tabernacle of the covenant, and they fell prone on the ground, and they cried out to the Lord, and they said: “O Lord God, listen to the outcry of this people, and open for them, from your storehouse, a fountain of living water, so that, being satisfied, their murmuring may cease.” And the glory of the Lord appeared over them.
6 Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces. Yahweh’s glory appeared to them.
7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
8 “Take the rod, and gather the people, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall bestow waters. And when you have brought forth water from the rock, the entire multitude and their cattle shall drink.”
8 “Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it pour out its water. You shall bring water to them out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their livestock drink.”
9 Therefore, Moses took the rod, which was in the sight of the Lord, just as he had instructed him.
9 Moses took the rod from before Yahweh, as he commanded him.
10 And having gathered the multitude before the rock, he said to them: “Listen, you who are rebellious and unbelieving. Would we be able to cast out water from this rock?”
10 Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Shall we bring water out of this rock for you?”
11 And when Moses had lifted up his hand, striking the stone twice with the rod, very great waters went forth, so much so that the people and their cattle were able to drink.
11 Moses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice, and water came out abundantly. The congregation and their livestock drank.
12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe me, so as to sanctify me before the sons of Israel, you shall not lead this people into the land, which I will give to them.”
12 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
13 This is the Water of Contradiction, where the sons of Israel were quarreling against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
13 These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.
14 Meanwhile, Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. They said: “Your brother Israel says this: You know of all the hardships which have overtaken us,
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: “Your brother Israel says: You know all the travail that has happened to us;
15 how our fathers descended into Egypt, and we lived there for a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted both us and our fathers,
15 how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers.
16 and how we cried out to the Lord, and he heeded us and sent an Angel, who led us away from Egypt. Behold, we are situated in the city of Kadesh, which is at the extremity of your borders.
16 When we cried to Yahweh, he heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the edge of your border.
17 And we beg you to permit us to cross through your land. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards; we will not drink the waters of your wells, but we will travel by the public ways, neither turning aside to the right, nor to the left, until we have passed your borders.”
17 “Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink from the water of the wells. We will go along the king’s highway. We will not turn away to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your border.”
18 Edom responded to them: “You shall not cross through me, otherwise, I will meet you armed.”
18 Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against you.”
19 And the sons of Israel said: “We will travel by the well-trodden path. And if we or our cattle drink from your waters, we will give you what is just. There shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us cross through quickly.”
19 The children of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway; and if we drink your water, I and my livestock, then I will give its price. Only let me, without doing anything else, pass through on my feet.”
20 But he answered, “You shall not cross.” And immediately he went out to meet them with a countless multitude and a strong hand;
20 He said, “You shall not pass through.” Edom came out against him with many people, and with a strong hand.
21 neither was he willing to agree to their petition to concede passage through his borders. For this reason, Israel diverted away from him.
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border, so Israel turned away from him.
22 And when they had moved the camp from Kadesh, they arrived at mount Hor, which is at the borders of the land of Edom,
22 They traveled from Kadesh, and the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.
23 where the Lord spoke to Moses:
23 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying,
24 “Let Aaron,” he said, “go to his people. For he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because he did not believe my mouth at the Waters of Contradiction.
24 “Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.
25 Take Aaron, and his son with him, and lead them on to mount Hor.
25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor;
26 And when you have stripped the father of his vestments, you shall put them on Eleazar, his son. Aaron shall be gathered and shall die there.”
26 and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron shall be gathered, and shall die there.”
27 Moses did just as the Lord had instructed. And they ascended mount Hor, in the sight of the entire multitude.
27 Moses did as Yahweh commanded. They went up onto Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
28 And when he had despoiled Aaron of his vestments, he clothed his son Eleazar with them.
28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
29 And when Aaron had died at the top of the mountain, Moses came down with Eleazar.
29 When all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.
30 And the entire multitude, seeing that Aaron lay dead, wept over him for thirty days, throughout all their families.
30 Not in this translation
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Eleazar
Aaron's son who succeeded him as high priest and served alongside Joshua.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 6:23; Numbers 20:25-28
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 13:21; Exodus 15:20; Numbers 33:36; Numbers 26:59; Numbers 27:14
- 2 Numbers 16:19; Numbers 16:42; Exodus 15:23–24; Exodus 16:12; Numbers 16:3
- 3 Exodus 17:2; Numbers 16:31–35; Numbers 14:1–2; Exodus 16:2–3; Numbers 11:33–34
- 4 Exodus 17:3; Psalm 106:21; Exodus 14:11–12; Numbers 16:41; Numbers 11:5
- 5 Numbers 16:14; Jeremiah 2:6; Ezekiel 20:36; Jeremiah 2:2; Nehemiah 9:21
- 6 Numbers 14:5; Numbers 16:22; Numbers 16:19; Numbers 16:4; Numbers 16:45
- 8 Exodus 4:17; Isaiah 43:20; Exodus 17:5–6; Revelation 22:17; John 16:24
- 9 Numbers 17:10
- 10 Psalm 106:32–33; James 3:2; Matthew 5:22; Genesis 41:16; Luke 9:54–55
- 11 1 Corinthians 10:4; Exodus 17:6; Deuteronomy 8:15; Numbers 20:8; Psalm 78:16
- 12 Deuteronomy 1:37; Numbers 27:14; Ezekiel 36:23; Numbers 20:24; Deuteronomy 3:23–27
- 13 Psalm 95:8; Exodus 17:7; Deuteronomy 33:8; Deuteronomy 32:51; Psalm 106:32–48
- 14 Judges 11:16–17; Deuteronomy 23:7; Genesis 32:3–4; Deuteronomy 2:4–25; Obadiah 10–12
- 15 Genesis 46:6; Deuteronomy 26:6; Exodus 12:40; Acts 7:15; Genesis 15:13
- 16 Exodus 14:19; Exodus 33:2; Exodus 23:20; Exodus 3:2–9; Exodus 2:23–24
- 17 Deuteronomy 2:27; Deuteronomy 2:1–4; Numbers 21:1; Numbers 21:22–24; Deuteronomy 2:29
- 19 Deuteronomy 2:28; Deuteronomy 2:6; Exodus 12:38
- 20 Amos 1:11; Judges 11:17; Numbers 20:18; Genesis 32:6; Ezekiel 35:5–11
- 21 Judges 11:18; Deuteronomy 2:29; Judges 11:24; Deuteronomy 2:27; Deuteronomy 23:7
- 22 Numbers 20:14; Numbers 21:4; Numbers 20:1; Numbers 13:26; Numbers 34:7
- 23 Numbers 33:37
- 24 Genesis 25:8; Deuteronomy 32:50; Numbers 27:13; Numbers 20:10–12; Numbers 31:2
- 25 Numbers 33:38–39
- 26 Numbers 20:24; Isaiah 22:21–22; Exodus 29:29–30; Hebrews 7:11; Hebrews 7:23–24
- 28 Deuteronomy 10:6; Exodus 29:29–30; Deuteronomy 32:49–50; 1 Chronicles 22:11–12; Deuteronomy 34:9
- 29 Deuteronomy 34:8; Genesis 1:10; 2 Chronicles 35:24–25; Acts 8:2
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences