1And the sones of Israel and al the multitude camen in to the deseert of Syn, in the firste monethe. ⁵²And the puple dwellide in Cades; and Marie was deed there, and biried in the same place.

2And whanne the puple hadde nede to watir, thei yeden togidere ayens Moises and Aaron; and thei weren turned in to dissensioun, ⁵³

3and seiden, We wolden that we hadden perischid among oure britheren bifor the Lord.

4Whi han ye led out the chirche of the Lord in to wildirnesse, that bothe we and oure beestis die?

5Whi han ye maad vs to stie from Egipt, and han brouyt vs in to this werste place, which may not be sowun, which nether bryngith forth fige tre, nether vineris, nether pumgranatis, ferthermore and hath not watir to drynke?

6And whanne the multitude was left, Moises and Aaron entriden in to the tabernacle of boond of pees, and felden lowe to erthe, and crieden to God, and seiden, Lord God, here the cry of this puple, and opene to hem thi tresour, a welle of quyk watir, that whanne thei ben fillid, the grutchyng of hem ceesse. And the glorie of the Lord apperide on hem;

7and the Lord spak to Moises,

8and seide, Take the yerde, ⁵⁴and gadere the puple, thou, and Aaron thi brother; and speke ye to the stoon bifore hem, and it schal yyue watris. And whanne thou hast led watir out of the stoon, al the multitude schal drynke, and the beestis therof `schulden drynke.

9Therfor Moises took the yerde that was in the `siyt of the Lord, as the Lord comaundide to hym,

10whanne the multitude was gaderid bifor the stoon; and he seide to hem, Here ye, rebel and vnbileueful; whether we moun brynge out of this stoon watir to you?

11And whanne Moises hadde reisid the hond, and hadde smyte the flynt twies with the yerde, largeste watris yeden out, so that the puple drank, and the beestis drunken.

12And the Lord seide to Moises and to Aaron, For ye bileueden not to me, that ye schulden halewe me ⁵⁵bifor the sones of Israel, ye schulen not lede these puples in to the lond which Y schal yyue to hem.

13This is the watir of ayenseiyng; there the sones of Israel stryueden ayens the Lord, and he was halewid in hem.

14In the meene tyme Moises sente messangeres fro Cades to the kyng of Edom, whiche seiden, Israel thi brother sendith these thinges. Thou knowist al the trauel that took vs,

15hou oure fadris yeden doun in to Egipt, and we dwelliden there myche tyme, and Egipcians turmentiden vs and oure fadris; and hou we crieden to the Lord,

16and he herde vs, and sente an aungel that ledde vs out of Egipt. And lo! we ben set in the citee of Cades, which is in thi laste coostis,

17and we bisechen that it be leueful to vs to passe thorou thi lond; we schulen not go bi feeldis, nether bi vyneris, nether we schulen drynke watris of thi pittis; but we schulen go in the comyn weie, and we schulen not bowe to the riyt side, nether to the left side, til we passen thi termes.

18To whom Edom answeride, Ye schulen not passe bi me, ellis Y schal be armed, and come ayens thee.

19And the sones of Israel seiden, We schulen go bi the weie comynli vsid, and if we and oure beestis drynken thi watris, we schulen yyue that that is iust; noon hardnesse schal be in prijs, onely passe we swiftli.

20And he answeride, Ye schulen not passe. And anoon he yede out ayens Israel, with a multitude without noumbre, and `strong hond,

21nether he wolde assente to Israel bisechynge, that he schulde graunte passage bi hise coostis. Wherfor Israel turnede awey fro hym.

22And whanne thei hadden moued tentis fro Cades, thei camen in to the hil of Hor, which is in the endis of the lond of Edom;

23where the Lord spak to Moyses and seide, Aaron go to his puples;

24for he schal not entre in to the lond which Y yaf to the sones of Israel, for he was vnbileueful to my mouth, at the watris of ayenseiyng.

25Take thou Aaron, and his sone with hym, and thou schalt lede hem in to the hil of Hor;

26and whanne thou hast maad nakid the fadir of his cloth, ⁵⁶thou schalt clothe `with it Eleazar, his sone, and Aaron schal be gederid, and schal die there.

27Moises dide as the Lord comaundide; and thei stieden in to the hil of Hor, bifor al the multitude.

28And whanne he hadde maad nakid Aaron of hise clothis, he clothide with tho Eleazar, his sone.

29Sotheli whanne Aaron was deed in the `cop of the hil, Moises cam doun with Eleazar. Sotheli al the multitude siy that Aaron was deed, and wepte on hym thretti daies, bi alle her meyness.