⁶ I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.^(A) Strike^(B) the rock, and water^(C) will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ⁸ “Take the staff,^(A) and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.^(B) You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

⁹ So Moses took the staff^(C) from the Lord’s presence,^(D) just as he commanded him. ¹⁰ He and Aaron gathered the assembly together^(E) in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”^{(F) 11} Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water^(G) gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy^(H) in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”^(I)

¹³ These were the waters of Meribah,^[a](J) where the Israelites quarreled^(K) with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.^(L)