And 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.

Veneruntque filii Israël et omnis multitudo in desertum Sin, mense primo, et mansit populus in Cades. Mortuaque est ibi Maria, et sepulta in eodem loco.

A new year was beginning, when the Israelites, marching in their full strength, reached the desert of Sin. Here, while they were halting at Cades, Mary died and was buried.

And the people wanting water, came together against Moses and Aaron:

Cumque indigeret aqua populus, convenerunt adversum Moysen et Aaron:

And now, hard put to it for want of water, the people made common cause against Moses and Aaron,

And making a sedition, they said: Would God we had perished among our brethren before the Lord.

et versi in seditionem, dixerunt: Utinam periissemus inter fratres nostros coram Domino.

rebelling against their authority. Better for us, they said, if we had died when our brethren died, by the Lord’s visitation!

Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die?

Cur eduxistis ecclesiam Domini in solitudinem, ut et nos et nostra jumenta moriamur?

What need was there you should call the Lord’s people out into a desert that is death to us and to our cattle?

Why 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?

quare nos fecistis ascendere de Ægypto, et adduxistis in locum istum pessimum, qui seri non potest, qui nec ficum gignit, nec vineas, nec malogranata, insuper et aquam non habet ad bibendum?

Why must you take us away from Egypt, and bring us out to this sorry place we cannot cultivate? Figs and grapes and pomegranates it yields none, and we have no water, even, to drink.

And 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.

Ingressusque Moyses et Aaron, dimissa multitudine, tabernaculum fœderis, corruerunt proni in terram, clamaveruntque ad Dominum, atque dixerunt: Domine Deus, audi clamorem hujus populi, et aperi eis thesaurum tuum fontem aquæ vivæ, ut satiati, cesset murmuratio eorum. Et apparuit gloria Domini super eos.

At this, when they had broken up the gathering, Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle that bore record of the covenant, and there cast themselves down to earth in entreaty. Lord God, they said, listen to the plea made by this people of thine, and open to them thy store-house of fresh water, to content them and put an end to their complaints! Then the bright presence of the Lord was revealed to them;

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

and the Lord said to Moses,

Take 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.

Tolle virgam, et congrega populum, tu et Aaron frater tuus, et loquimini ad petram coram eis, et illa dabit aquas. Cumque eduxeris aquam de petra, bibet omnis multitudo et jumenta ejus.

Take thy rod with thee, and do thou and thy brother Aaron gather all the people together. Before their eyes, lay thy command upon the rock here, and it will yield water. This water thou bringest out of the rock will suffice to give drink to the whole multitude, and to their cattle.

Moses therefore took the rod, which was before the Lord, as he had commanded him,

Tulit igitur Moyses virgam, quæ erat in conspectu Domini, sicut præceperat ei,

So Moses took up the rod, there in the Lord’s presence, as he was bidden,

And 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?

congregata multitudine ante petram: dixitque eis: Audite, rebelles et increduli: num de petra hac vobis aquam poterimus ejicere?

and they made the people gather before the rock. Listen to me, he said, faithless rebels; are we to get you water out of this rock?

And when Moses had 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,

Cumque elevasset Moyses manum, percutiens virga bis silicem, egressæ sunt aquæ largissimæ, ita ut populus biberet et jumenta.

Twice Moses lifted his hand, and smote the rock with his rod; whereupon water gushed out in abundance, so that all the people and their cattle had enough to drink.

And 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.

Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen et Aaron: Quia non credidistis mihi, ut sanctificaretis me coram filiis Israël, non introducetis hos populos in terram, quam dabo eis.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Why did you not trust in me, and vindicate my holiness in the sight of Israel? It will not be yours to lead this multitude into the land I mean to give them.

This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.

Hæc est aqua contradictionis, ubi jurgati sunt filii Israël contra Dominum, et sanctificatus est in eis.

This is the place called the Water of Rebellion, where the Israelites challenged the Lord, and he vindicated his holiness before them.

In 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:

Misit interea nuntios Moyses de Cades ad regem Edom, qui dicerent: Hæc mandat frater tuus Israël: Nosti omnem laborem qui apprehendit nos,

From Cades, Moses sent envoys to the king of Edom, with a message to him from his brethren of Israel: Thou knowest what hardships have overtaken us;

In what manner our fathers went down into Egypt, and there we dwelt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.

quomodo descenderint patres nostri in Ægyptum, et habitaverimus ibi multo tempore, afflixerintque nos Ægyptii, et patres nostros:

how our fathers made their way into Egypt, how they and we were ill-used by the Egyptians during the long time we spent there,

And 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,

et quomodo clamaverimus ad Dominum, et exaudierit nos, miseritque angelum, qui eduxerit nos de Ægypto. Ecce in urbe Cades, quæ est in extremis finibus tuis, positi,

how we cried out to the Lord, till he listened to us and sent an angel to rescue us from Egypt. And now we are here at Cades, on the frontier of thy dominions;

And 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.

obsecramus ut nobis transire liceat per terram tuam. Non ibimus per agros, nec per vineas; non bibemus aquas de puteis tuis: sed gradiemur via publica, nec ad dexteram nec ad sinistram declinantes, donec transeamus terminos tuos.

what we ask of thee is leave to pass through this land of thine. There shall be no marching through fields or vineyards, no drinking at thy wells; we will travel by the high road, not to right or left, until we have passed beyond thy frontiers.

And Edom answered them: Thou shalt not pass by me: if thou dost I will come out armed against thee.

Cui respondit Edom: Non transibis per me, alioquin armatus occurram tibi.

But the Edomites refused to let them pass, threatening armed resistance.

And 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.

Dixeruntque filii Israël: Per tritam gradiemur viam: et si biberimus aquas tuas, nos et pecora nostra, dabimus quod justum est: nulla erit in pretio difficultas, tantum velociter transeamus.

Let Israel promise as they would to use only the public highway, to pay in full for all they or their beasts might drink, without haggling over the price, to make a quick passage of it;

But he answered: Thou shalt not pass. And immediately he came forth to meet them with an infinite multitude, and a strong hand,

At ille respondit: Non transibis. Statimque egressus est obvius, cum infinita multitudo, et manu forti,

still Edom refused, coming out to meet them there and then in great force, ready to overpower them.

Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage through his borders. Wherefore Israel turned another way from him.

nec voluit acquiescere deprecanti, ut concederet transitum per fines suos. Quam ob rem divertit ab eo Israël.

The Israelites, then, since no entreaties could move them to grant the right of passage, left the Edomites alone and turned elsewhere.

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

Cumque castra movissent de Cades, venerunt in montem Hor, qui est in finibus terræ Edom:

So, leaving Cades behind them, they reached Mount Hor, on the edge of the Edomite country;

Where the Lord spoke to Moses:

ubi locutus est Dominus ad Moysen:

and here it was that the Lord said to Moses,

Let 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.

Pergat, inquit, Aaron ad populos suos: non enim intrabit terram, quam dedi filiis Israël, eo quod incredulus fuerit ori meo, ad aquas contradictionis.

Aaron must become a part of his people. For him, there is no entering the land which is your promised home, so unfaithful was he to my word at the Water of Rebellion.

Take Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into mount Hor:

Tolle Aaron et filium ejus cum eo, et duces eos in montem Hor.

Take Aaron and his son with thee to the top of mount Hor,

And 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.

Cumque nudaveris patrem veste sua, indues ea Eleazarum filium ejus: Aaron colligetur, et morietur ibi.

strip the father of his priestly garments and clothe his son Eleazar with them instead; there Aaron shall die, and become part of his race.

Moses did as the Lord had commanded: and they went up into mount Hor before all the multitude.

Fecit Moyses ut præceperat Dominus: et ascenderunt in montem Hor coram omni multitudine.

So Moses did as the Lord bade him; together they went up mount Hor in the sight of the whole multitude,

And when he had stripped Aaron of his vestments, he vested Eleazar his son with them.

Cumque Aaron spoliasset vestibus suis, induit eis Eleazarum filium ejus.

and there he stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar,

And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, he came down with Eleazar.

Illo mortuo in montis supercilio, descendit cum Eleazaro.

and came back with Eleazar alone, leaving Aaron dead on the mountain top.

And all the multitude seeing that Aaron was dead, mourned for him thirty days throughout all their families.

Omnis autem multitudo videns occubuisse Aaron, flevit super eo triginta diebus per cunctas familias suas.

And the whole people, thus apprised of Aaron’s death, mourned over him, all alike, for thirty days.