Font Size
Numbers 20:2-13
Contemporary English Version
Numbers 20:2-13
Contemporary English Version
2 (A) The Israelites had no water, so they went to Moses and Aaron 3 and complained, “Moses, we'd be better off if we had died along with the others in front of the Lord's sacred tent.[a] 4 You brought us into this desert, and now we and our livestock are going to die! 5 Egypt was better than this horrible place. At least there we had grain and figs and grapevines and pomegranates.[b] 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 of his glory 7-8 and said, “Moses, get your walking stick.[c] 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 (B) 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.”
Read full chapter
Numbers 20:2-13
New International Version
Numbers 20:2-13
New International Version
2 Now there was no water(A) for the community,(B) and the people gathered in opposition(C) to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled(D) with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead(E) before the Lord!(F) 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness,(G) that we and our livestock should die here?(H) 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.(I) And there is no water to drink!(J)”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting(K) and fell facedown,(L) and the glory of the Lord(M) appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff,(N) and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.(O) You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff(P) from the Lord’s presence,(Q) just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together(R) in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”(S) 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water(T) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy(U) in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”(V)
13 These were the waters of Meribah,[a](W) where the Israelites quarreled(X) with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.(Y)
Footnotes
- Numbers 20:13 Meribah means quarreling.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.