8. Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and in their presence command the rock to yield its waters. Thereby you will bring forth water from the rock for them, and supply the community and their livestock with water.
9. So Moses took the staff from its place before the Lord, as he was ordered.
10. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, where he said to them, “Just listen, you rebels! Are we to produce water for you out of this rock?”
11. Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, and water came out in abundance, and the community and their livestock drank.
12. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you did not have confidence in me, to acknowledge my holiness before the Israelites, therefore you shall not lead this assembly into the land I have given them.
13. These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and through which he displayed his holiness.
14. From Kadesh Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know of all the hardships that have befallen us,
15. how our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors harshly.
16. When we cried to the Lord, he heard our cry and sent an angel who led us out of Egypt. Now here we are at Kadesh, a town at the edge of your territory.
17. Please let us pass through your land. We will not cross any fields or vineyards, nor drink any well water, but we will go straight along the King’s Highway without turning to the right or to the left, until we have passed through your territory.”
18. But Edom answered him, “You shall not pass through here; if you do, I will advance against you with the sword.”
19. The Israelites said to him, “We will go up along the highway. If we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. It is nothing—just let us pass through on foot.”
20. But Edom replied, “You shall not pass through,” and advanced against them with a large and heavily armed force.