lls: we will go along the king's highway,
we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we
have passed thy border.'"

And Edom said unto him, "Thou shalt not pass through my land, lest I
come out with the sword against thee."

And the children of Israel said unto him, "We will go up by the
highway: and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I
give the price thereof: let me only, without doing anything else, pass
through on my feet."

And he said, "Thou shalt not pass through."

And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong
hand. Thus Edom refused to give {250} Israel passage through his
border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

And they journeyed from Kadesh: and the children of Israel, even the
whole multitude, came unto Mount Hor. And the Lord spoke unto Moses
and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying,
"Aaron shall be gathered to his people: for he shall not enter into
the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because ye
rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and
Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount Hor: and strip Aaron of
his priestly garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron
shall be gathered to 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 multitude. And Moses stripped Aaron of his
priestly 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 multitude saw that Aaron was dead, they
wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

THE BRAZEN SERPENT.

And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go
around the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much
discouraged because of the difficulties. And the people spoke against
God, and against Moses, "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt
to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no
water; and our soul loatheth this bread of manna."

{251}{252}

[Illustration]
ROCK TEMPLE IN PETRA, IN THE LAND OF EDOM

From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,
Mass., and used by special permission.

Hidden away in the rocky gorges of Edom, Petra is one of the
strangest and most marvelous cities of the world. Even yet it has
not been fully explored. Its temp