17 Then all the Israelis moved on from Siyn in the wilderness, travelling following Yahweh’s instructions. They camped at Refidim but there was no water for the people to drink.[ref] 2 So the people argued with Mosheh again, saying, “Give us water to drink!”

“Why are you all quarrelling with me?” Mosheh answered. “Why are you all testing Yahweh?”

3 But the people were very thirsty there and they murmured against Mosheh, so he demanded, “Is this why you brought us out of Egypt? To kill me and my sons and my cattle with thirst?” ???

4 Mosheh cried out to Yahweh, asking, “What should I do for these people? It won’t take much more and they’ll kill me.”

5 “Walk on ahead of the people,” Yahweh told Mosheh, “and take some of the Israeli elders with you, and your staff—the one which you struck the river with. Take it in your hand and go. 6 Watch me. I will stand in front of you there on the rock at Horev (Mt. Sinai). Then you will strike the rock and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.” So Mosheh did that while the Israeli elders watched.

7 Mosheh named that place both ‘Massah’ (which means ‘testing’) and ‘Meribah’ (which means ‘complaining’), because of the conflict among the Israelis and because of how they tested of Yahweh by saying, ‘Is Yahweh among us or not?’

20 Then in the first month of the next year, all the Israelis entered the Tsin (‘Thorny’ or ‘Thirsty’) wilderness and the people camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miryam died, and was buried there.

2 However, there was no water to drink, so the people came against Mosheh and Aharon[ref] 3 and complained, “It would have been better if we’d died in front of Yahweh along with our relatives back there. 4 Why did you two bring Yahweh’s people here to die in this wilderness, along with our livestock? 5 Why did you bring us out of Egypt to bring us to this miserable place? There’s no grain or figs, and no grapes or pomegranates. There’s not even water to drink!” 6 Then Mosheh and Aharon went from there in front of the people to the entrance to the sacred tent, where they fell to their knees with their faces to the ground, and Yahweh’s brilliance appeared to them.

7 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, 8 “Take Aharon’s staff, then the two of you must command that rock to pour out water. Then water will come out of it, and both the people and the animals will have plenty to drink.”

9 So Mosheh took the staff from Yahweh’s residence like he was told to. 10 Then the two of them gathered the people in front of the rock and told them, “Listen now you bunch of rebels—do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Mosheh raised the staff and hit the rock twice, and water gushed out, and so the people and their animals were able to drink.

12 Then Yahweh scolded Mosheh and Aharon, “Because you two publicly demonstrated that you didn’t believe that what I say is absolute truth, therefore you two won’t lead this community into the land that I’ve given them.”

13 That spring was named ‘Merivah’ (meaning ‘Quarrelling’) because that was where the Israelis argued with Yahweh, and where he demonstrated his absolute truthfulness to them.