The Death of Miriam

1And the children of Israel, and all the multitude came into the desert of Sin, in the first month: and the people abode in Cades. And Mary died there, and was buried in the same place.

Water from the Rock

(Exodus 17:1-7)

2And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron: 3And making a sedition, they said: Would God we had perished among our brethren before the Lord. 4Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die? 5Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us into this wretched place which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink? 6And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord, and said. O Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to them thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that being satisfied, they may cease to murmur. And the glory of the Lord appeared over them. 7And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

8Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink.

9Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him, 10And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock? 11And when Moses bad lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank, 12And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them. 13This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

Edom Refuses Passage

14In the mean time Moses sent messengers from Cades to the king of Edom, to say: Thus saith thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the labour that hath come upon us: 15In what manner our fathers went down into Egypt, and there we dwelt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel, who hath brought us out of Egypt. Lo, we are now in the city of Cades, which is in the uttermost of thy borders, 17And we beseech thee that we may have leave to pass through thy country. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, we will not drink the waters of thy wells, but we will go by the common highway, neither turning aside to the right hand, nor to the left, till we are past thy borders.

18And Edom answered them: Thou shalt not pass by me: if thou dost I will come out armed against thee. 19And the children of Israel said: We will go by the beaten way: and if we and our cattle drink of thy waters, we will give thee what is just: there shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us pass speedily. 20But he answered: Thou shalt not pass. And immediately he came forth to meet them with an infinite multitude, and a strong hand, 21Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage through his borders. Wherefore Israel turned another way from him.

The Death of Aaron

22And when they had removed the camp from Cades, they came to mount Hor, which is in the borders of the land of Edom:

23Where the Lord spoke to Moses: 24Let Aaron, saith he, go to his people: for he shall not go into the land which I have given the children of Israel, because he was incredulous to my words, at the waters of contradiction. 25Take Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into mount Hor: 26And when thou hast stripped the father of his vesture, thou shalt vest therewith Eleazar his son: Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and die there. 27Moses did as the Lord had commanded: and they went up into mount Hor before all the multitude. 28And when he had stripped Aaron of his vestments, he vested Eleazar his son with them. 29And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, he came down with Eleazar. And all the multitude seeing that Aaron was dead, mourned for him thirty days throughout all their families.