Numbers Chapter 20
Showing all 29 verses for Numbers Chapter 20.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. "
"The whole community of Israel arrived in the Desert of Zin in the first month, and they camped at Kadesh. There, Miriam died and was buried."
Miriam dies quietly, almost in passing, right before the crisis over water begins - a reminder that grief and hardship often arrive together rather than politely one at a time. Jesus does not ask you to pretend loss doesn't hurt just because life keeps demanding things of you; He grieves alongside you even as He carries you forward.
"And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. "
"There was no water for the community, so the people gathered together to confront Moses and Aaron."
Real, physical lack drives the people to gather against Moses and Aaron - their fear is understandable even if their response is faithless. Jesus never despises you for feeling afraid when a genuine need goes unmet; He simply longs for you to bring that fear to Him rather than to blame and complaint.
"And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! "
"The people argued with Moses, saying, "We wish we had died in front of the LORD like our brothers did!""
The people wish they had died with those who fell earlier, revealing how despair can twist even survival into something to resent. Jesus meets you gently in your darkest, most exaggerated complaints, not with rebuke first, but with patience for a heart worn thin by hardship.
"And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? "
"Why did you bring the LORD's community into this wilderness, just for us and our animals to die here?"
The people accuse Moses and Aaron of bringing them out simply to die, twisting rescue into an accusation of betrayal. Jesus knows what it is to be misunderstood and blamed for the very hardship of a journey He is leading towards good, and He does not stop loving those who misjudge Him.
"And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto 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. "
"Why did you make us leave Egypt, just to bring us to this terrible place? There's no grain, no figs, no vines, no pomegranates - and no water to drink!"
The people list everything the wilderness lacks - figs, vines, pomegranates, water - measuring their situation entirely by what is missing rather than what God has already provided. Jesus invites you to notice His provision even in barren seasons, rather than letting scarcity blind you to His presence.
"And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. "
"Moses and Aaron left the crowd and went to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them."
Rather than arguing back, Moses and Aaron fall on their faces before God, and His glory appears - the right response to overwhelming complaint is to turn towards God rather than to fight the crowd. Jesus shows you here that humility before the Father is always more powerful than winning an argument with people.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses and said:"
God speaks again to Moses in the middle of the crisis, showing He had not abandoned His leaders even while the people despaired of them. Jesus is present in exactly the moments you feel most alone under pressure, ready to speak clear direction the instant you turn to listen.
"Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. "
"Take the staff, gather the community together, you and Aaron, and speak to the rock in front of everyone. It will pour out its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for the people and their livestock to drink."
God's instruction is simple - speak to the rock - and water will flow abundantly for the people and even their animals. Jesus delights in providing generously, often through means far gentler than we expect, if only we are willing to trust His word rather than force our own method.
"And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. "
"Moses took the staff from before the LORD, just as he had been instructed."
Moses takes the rod exactly as commanded, showing that obedience begins well even before it is carried out perfectly. Jesus honours the sincere first steps of obedience in your life, even on the road to a mistake, because He sees the heart that starts by trying to follow Him.
"And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? "
"Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels - must we bring water out of this rock for you?""
Moses calls the people 'rebels' and lets frustration spill into his words before the whole assembly - years of complaint had worn him down to the point of losing his composure. Jesus understands how exhausting it is to lead and love people who keep testing your patience, and He offers you grace for the moments your own frustration shows.
"And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. "
"Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out abundantly, and the people and their livestock drank."
Moses strikes the rock twice instead of speaking to it as commanded, and still God graciously lets the water flow for the thirsty people. Jesus shows His mercy reaching people even through a leader's flawed obedience - His provision for others is never limited by our imperfection.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. "
"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: Because you didn't trust me enough to honour me as holy in front of the Israelites, you will not lead this community into the land I have given them."
God tells Moses and Aaron that because they did not trust Him enough to honour Him before the people, they will not enter the promised land - a heavy consequence for leaders held to a high standard of representing God rightly. Jesus takes seriously how leaders reflect who He is to others, yet even in judgement here, His care for the wider congregation never wavers.
"This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them. "
"This place is called the waters of Meribah, meaning quarrelling, because there the Israelites argued with the LORD, and he showed himself holy among them."
This place is named Meribah, meaning strife, because Israel argued with the LORD there, yet He was still sanctified - holy - in the midst of that struggle. Jesus can be glorified even in your messiest, most contentious moments, when you finally turn back to trust Him.
"And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: "
"Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom with this message: "Your brother Israel says: you know all the hardship that has happened to us.""
Moses sends a respectful, humble message to Edom, calling them 'brother' and recounting Israel's hardship honestly rather than making demands. Jesus models here through Moses' diplomacy the wisdom of approaching even old family tensions with courtesy and truth rather than pride.
"How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived there a long time; the Egyptians mistreated us and our forefathers."
Moses recounts Israel's long history of suffering in Egypt honestly, without exaggeration or self-pity, simply as context for the request that follows. Jesus values an honest telling of your story - not to gain sympathy, but to explain plainly where you have come from.
"And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: "
"When we cried out to the LORD, he heard us and sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Now here we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory."
Moses credits God alone for hearing their cry and sending deliverance, giving no credit to human strength or cleverness. Jesus wants your own story of rescue to always point back to God's mercy rather than to your own effort.
"Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. "
"Please let us pass through your country. We won't go through any fields or vineyards, and we won't drink water from your wells. We'll stay on the main road and won't turn off it in either direction until we're through your territory."
Israel promises not to touch Edom's fields, vineyards or wells, and to keep strictly to the king's highway - a considerate request that takes care not to burden or exploit their neighbour. Jesus calls you to the same thoughtfulness: even when you need something from others, ask in a way that respects what is theirs.
"And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. "
"Edom replied: "You will not pass through my land, or I will come out and attack you with the sword.""
Edom refuses outright and threatens Israel with the sword despite the gentle, reasonable request made to them. Jesus knows what it feels like to be met with hostility even when you have approached someone with humility and good intent, and He does not ask you to blame yourself for another's harshness.
"And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing anything else, go through on my feet. "
"The Israelites said to him, "We'll stick to the main road, and if my people or livestock drink any of your water, we'll pay for it. We just want to pass through on foot, nothing more.""
Israel offers again, this time promising to pay for any water used and asking only passage on foot - going the extra step to remove every possible objection. Jesus honours this kind of patient generosity that keeps trying to make peace even after an initial refusal.
"And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. "
"But Edom said, "You will not go through," and came out against them with a large, powerful army."
Edom again refuses, this time coming out with a large, armed force to block Israel entirely, escalating a small border dispute into open threat. Jesus does not want you to mirror hostility with hostility; He calls you to withdraw in peace when confrontation is forced upon you, as Israel does next.
"Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him. "
"So Edom refused to let Israel pass through their territory, and Israel turned away and went around instead."
Israel simply turns away rather than forcing the issue by war, choosing to absorb the refusal rather than fight for a right they might have claimed. Jesus commends this kind of restraint - the wisdom to walk away from a fight that isn't necessary, even when you have been wronged.
"And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. "
"The whole community of Israel travelled on from Kadesh and arrived at Mount Hor."
The whole congregation moves on together to Mount Hor, continuing the long journey despite the setback with Edom. Jesus keeps leading you forward even after a closed door or a painful refusal - the journey does not end just because one path was blocked.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, and said:"
God speaks again to Moses and Aaron together at this mountain, continuing His pattern of guiding leaders in partnership even as one of them is about to die. Jesus stays present and communicative right up to life's hardest transitions, never leaving a leader to face the end alone.
"Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. "
"Aaron is about to die and join his ancestors. He will not enter the land I am giving the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my instruction at the waters of Meribah."
Aaron will not enter the promised land because of the rebellion at Meribah, yet he is described gently as being 'gathered unto his people' rather than simply cut off. Jesus is honest about consequences for our choices, yet even in judgement He speaks of death with tenderness rather than harshness.
"Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: "
"Take Aaron and his son Eleazar, and bring them up Mount Hor."
God instructs that Aaron, Eleazar and Moses go up the mountain together for this final, sacred transition - even death is not meant to be faced in isolation. Jesus walks with you, and provides others to walk with you too, especially at life's most solemn moments.
"And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. "
"Strip Aaron of his priestly garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will then join his ancestors in death - he will die there."
Aaron's priestly garments are stripped from him and placed on his son Eleazar, showing that the office of priesthood continues even though the man holding it passes away. Jesus is the priest whose ministry never needs replacing, continuing forever unlike every human priest who came before Him.
"And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. "
"Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded: he and the others went up Mount Hor while the whole community watched."
Moses obeys God's hard instruction in full view of the whole congregation, not hiding from the difficulty of what he has been asked to do. Jesus calls you to the same open, honest obedience even when the task set before you is painful.
"And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. "
"Moses stripped Aaron of his priestly garments and put them on Eleazar. Aaron died there on the mountaintop, and Moses and Eleazar came back down."
Aaron dies quietly at the mountain's top after his garments are transferred, and Moses and Eleazar come down together, the transition of leadership already complete. Jesus ensures that His purposes continue smoothly even through the loss of a beloved leader, so that His people are never left without care.
"And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel. "
"When the whole community realised Aaron was dead, all Israel mourned him for thirty days."
The whole house of Israel mourns Aaron for thirty days, showing that grief given its proper time and space honours a person's life well. Jesus does not rush you through grief; He allows space to mourn fully, just as this whole nation did for their first high priest.