The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 In the first month all the children of Israel came into the waste land of Zin, and put up their tents in Kadesh; there death came to Miriam, and they put her body to rest in the earth.
1
In the first month the whole community of Israel came to the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 And there was no water for the people: and they came together against Moses and against Aaron.
2
There was no water where they camped, so the people gathered around Moses and Aaron
3 And the people were angry with Moses and said, If only death had overtaken us when our brothers came to their death before the Lord!
3
and complained: "It would have been better if we had died in front of the Lord's Tent along with the other Israelites.
4 Why have you taken the Lord's people into this waste, for death to come to us and to our cattle there?
4
Why have you brought us out into this wilderness? Just so that we can die here with our animals?
5 Why have you made us come out of Egypt into this evil place? This is no place of seed or figs or vines or other fruits, and there is no water for drinking.
5
Why did you bring us out of Egypt into this miserable place where nothing will grow? There's no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates. There is not even any water to drink!"
6 Then Moses and Aaron went away from the people to the door of the Tent of meeting; and, falling on their faces there, they saw the glory of the Lord.
6
Moses and Aaron moved away from the people and stood at the entrance of the Tent. They bowed down with their faces to the ground, and the dazzling light of the Lord's presence appeared to them.
7 And the Lord said to Moses,
7
The Lord said to Moses,
8 Take the rod, you and Aaron, your brother, and make all the people come together, and before their eyes give orders to the rock to give out its water; and so make water come out of the rock for them, and give the people and their cattle drink.
8
"Take the stick that is in front of the Covenant Box, and then you and Aaron assemble the whole community. There in front of them all speak to that rock over there, and water will gush out of it. In this way you will bring water out of the rock for the people, for them and their animals to drink."
9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord as he gave him orders.
9
Moses went and got the stick, as the Lord had commanded.
10 Then Moses and Aaron made the people come together in front of the rock, and he said to them, Give ear now, you people whose hearts are turned from the Lord; are we to get water for you out of the rock?
10
He and Aaron assembled the whole community in front of the rock, and Moses said, "Listen, you rebels! Do we have to get water out of this rock for you?"
11 And lifting up his hand, Moses gave the rock two blows with his rod: and water came streaming out, and the people and their cattle had drink enough.
11
Then Moses raised the stick and struck the rock twice with it, and a great stream of water gushed out, and all the people and animals drank.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you had not enough faith in me to keep my name holy before the children of Israel, you will not take this people into the land which I have given them.
12
But the Lord reprimanded Moses and Aaron. He said, "Because you did not have enough faith to acknowledge my holy power before the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land that I promised to give them."
13 These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel went against the Lord, and they saw that he was holy among them.
13
This happened at Meribah, where the people of Israel complained against the Lord and where he showed them that he is holy.
14 Then Moses sent men from Kadesh to the king of Edom to say to him, Your brother Israel says, You have knowledge of all the things we have been through;
14
Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. They said, "This message is from your kinsmen, the tribes of Israel. You know the hardships we have suffered,
15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we were living in Egypt for a long time; and the Egyptians were cruel to us and to our fathers:
15
how our ancestors went to Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated our ancestors and us,
16 And the Lord gave ear to the voice of our cry, and sent an angel and took us out of Egypt: and now we are in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your land;
16
and we cried to the Lord for help. He heard our cry and sent an angel, who led us out of Egypt. Now we are at Kadesh, a town at the border of your territory.
17 Let us now go through your land: we will not go into field or vine-garden, or take the water of the springs; we will go by the highway, not turning to the right or to the left, till we have gone past the limits of your land.
17
Please permit us to pass through your land. We and our cattle will not leave the road or go into your fields or vineyards, and we will not drink from your wells. We will stay on the main road until we are out of your territory."
18 And Edom said, You are not to go through my land, for if you do I will come out against you with the sword.
18
But the Edomites answered, "We refuse to let you pass through our country! If you try, we will march out and attack you."
19 And the children of Israel said to him, We will go up by the highway: and if we or our cattle take of your water, we will give you a price for it: only let us go through on our feet, nothing more.
19
The people of Israel said, "We will stay on the main road, and if we or our animals drink any of your water, we will pay for it - all we want is to pass through."
20 But he said, You are not to go through. And Edom came out against them in his strength, with a great army.
20
The Edomites repeated, "We refuse!" and they marched out with a powerful army to attack the people of Israel.
21 So Edom would not let Israel go through his land; and Israel went in another direction.
21
Because the Edomites would not let the Israelites pass through their territory, the Israelites turned and went another way.
22 And they went on from Kadesh, and came, with all their people, to Mount Hor.
22
The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and arrived at Mount Hor,
23 And at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
23
on the border of Edom. There the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
24 Aaron will be put to rest with his people; he will not go into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you went against my word at the waters of Meribah.
24
"Aaron is not going to enter the land which I promised to give to Israel; he is going to die, because the two of you rebelled against my command at Meribah.
25 So take Aaron and Eleazar, his son, up into Mount Hor;
25
Take Aaron and his son Eleazar up Mount Hor,
26 And take Aaron's robes off him and put them on Eleazar, his son: and death will come to Aaron there, and he will be put to rest with his people.
26
and there remove Aaron's priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. Aaron is going to die there."
27 So Moses did as the Lord had said, and before the eyes of all the people they went up Mount Hor.
27
Moses did what the Lord had commanded. They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community,
28 And Moses took off Aaron's robes, and put them on Eleazar, his son; and there on the top of the mountain death came to Aaron: then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.
28
and Moses removed Aaron's priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. There on the top of the mountain Aaron died, and Moses and Eleazar came back down.
29 And when the people saw that Aaron was dead, all the children of Israel gave themselves up to weeping for him for thirty days.
29
The whole community learned that Aaron had died, and they all mourned for him for thirty days.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.