1 A nd all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

Then all the people cried out with a loud voice, and they cried that night.

2 A nd all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness!

All the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this desert!

3 A nd wherefore doth Jehovah bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to be killed by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be taken away. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

4 A nd they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

So they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and return to Egypt.”

5 T hen Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in front of all the gathering of the people of Israel.

6 A nd Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes:

And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh tore their clothes. They were among those who had spied out the land.

7 a nd they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land.

They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we passed through to spy out is a very good land.

8 I f Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us. It is a land which flows with milk and honey.

9 O nly rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.

Only do not go against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land. For they will be our food. They have no way to keep safe, and the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

10 B ut all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel.

But all the people said to throw stones at Joshua and Caleb. Then the shining-greatness of the Lord was seen in the meeting tent by all the people of Israel. Moses Prays for the People

11 A nd Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?

The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people turn away from Me? How long will they not believe in Me, even after all the great works I have done among them?

12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.

I will punish them with disease, and will not give them the land. And I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”

13 A nd Moses said unto Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;

But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it. For You brought this people here by Your strength from among them.

14 a nd they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that thou Jehovah art in the midst of this people; for thou Jehovah art seen face to face, and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

And they will tell the people who live in this land. They have heard that You, O Lord, are with these people and that You, O Lord, are seen face to face as Your cloud is over them. You go before them in a cloud during the day, and in fire during the night.

15 N ow if thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

Now if You kill these people as one man, the nations who have heard how great You are will say,

16 B ecause Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land He promised to give them. So He has killed them in the desert.’

17 A nd now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great as You have promised, saying,

18 J ehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.

‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with loving-kindness, forgiving sin and wrong-doing. But He will not let the guilty go without being punished. He brings the sin of fathers down upon the children, even the great-grandchildren.’

19 P ardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy lovingkindness, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

I pray that You will forgive the sin of this people by the greatness of Your loving-kindness. Forgive them as You have forgiven them from Egypt until now.”

20 A nd Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

So the Lord said, “I have forgiven them as you asked.

21 b ut in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah;

But for sure, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the shining-greatness of the Lord.

22 b ecause all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

All the men who have seen My greatness and My wonderful works which I did in Egypt and in the desert but have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, for sure, they

23 s urely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it:

will not see the land I promised to their fathers. None of those who have turned away from Me will see it.

24 b ut my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

But My servant Caleb has had a different spirit and has followed Me in every way. I will bring him into the land where he went, and his children will take it for themselves.

25 N ow the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: to-morrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.

Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys. So turn tomorrow and move on to the desert by the way of the Red Sea.” Punishment for the People Who Complained

26 A nd Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

27 H ow long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

“How long will these sinful people speak against Me? I have heard the people of Israel complaining against Me.

28 S ay unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

Say to them, ‘As I live, what you have said in My hearing I will do to you,’ says the Lord.

29 y our dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me,

‘Your dead bodies will fall in this desert, all of you who were numbered from twenty years old and older, who have spoken against Me.

30 s urely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

For sure, not one will go into the land where I promised to have you live, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

31 B ut your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected.

You said that your children would be taken and killed. But I will bring them in, and they will know the land you have turned away from.

32 B ut as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this desert.

33 A nd your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness.

Your children will be shepherds in the desert for forty years. They will suffer because you were not faithful, until your dead bodies lie in the desert.

34 A fter the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my alienation.

You spied out the land for forty days. For each day you will carry your guilt a year, forty years. And you will know that I am against you.

35 I , Jehovah, have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

I the Lord have spoken. For sure I will do this to all these sinful people who are gathered together against Me. They will be destroyed in this desert. And there they will die.’”

36 A nd the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,

Moses had sent men to spy out the land. They returned and made all the people complain against him by bringing bad news about the land.

37 e ven those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Jehovah.

These men who brought the very bad news about the land died of a disease before the Lord.

38 B ut Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.

But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh stayed alive, of those men who went to spy out the land.

39 A nd Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people were filled with much sorrow.

40 A nd they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Jehovah hath promised: for we have sinned.

They got up early in the morning and went up to the top of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. It is true we have sinned. But we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised.”

41 A nd Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah, seeing it shall not prosper?

But Moses said, “Why now do you sin against the Word of the Lord? It will not get you what you want.

42 G o not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies.

Do not go up, or you will be killed by those who fight against you. For the Lord is not with you.

43 F or there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned back from following Jehovah, therefore Jehovah will not be with you.

The Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will be killed by the sword. Because you have turned away from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

44 B ut they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

But they would not listen and went up to the top of the hill country. The special box with the Law of the Lord, and Moses, did not leave the tents.

45 T hen the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.

Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and went against them and beat them down as far as Hormah.