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'Get you up from among this congregation, that I may

'consume them as in a moment.'

And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, 'Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the 'altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there ' is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.' And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between_ the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying

'Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one
' of them a rod according to the house of their fathers,
' of all their princes according to the house of their
fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon
'his rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the
' rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the
'house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them up in
'the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony,
'where I will meet with you. And it shall come to pass,
that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom:
' and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of
the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against
'you.'

And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods:

and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.

And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

And the LORD said unto Moses

Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept 'for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take ' away their murmurings from me that they die not.'

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.

and they

And there was no water for the congregation gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, 'Would God that we had died when our brethren 'died before the LORD! And why have ye brought up 'the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that 'we and our cattle should die there? 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 I vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to ' drink.'

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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. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying

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.'

And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as HE commanded 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?' 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.

And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron-

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'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.'

This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and HE was sanctified in them.

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: how our fathers went 'down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long ' time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers: 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 let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country:

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we will not pass through the fields, or through the vine' yards, 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."' And Edom said unto him, 'Thou shalt not 'pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.' 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.' And he said, Thou shalt not go through.' And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border wherefore Israel turned away from him.

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And the children of Israel, even the whole congrega tion, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.

And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying

'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. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and 'bring them up unto mount Hor: 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.'

And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 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. And when all the congregation saw that Aaron

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was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against GOD, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.' And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, 'We have sinned, 'for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that HE take away the serpents from us.' And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses

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Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it 'shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he 'looketh upon it, shall live.'

And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.

And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sun-rising.

From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared. From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that

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