1 S o all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.

And the whole assembly lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

2 A nd all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!

And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole assembly said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or in this wilderness would that we had died!

3 W hy has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

And why is Jehovah bringing us to this land that we may fall by the sword, that our wives and our little ones may become a prey? Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?

4 S o they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”

And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us 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 upon their faces before the whole congregation of the assembly of the children of Israel.

6 B ut Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;

And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of them that searched out the land, rent their garments.

7 a nd they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

And they spoke to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it out, is a very, very good land.

8 I f the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’

If Jehovah delight in us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us, a land that flows with milk and honey;

9 O nly do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

only rebel not against Jehovah; and fear not the people of the land; for they shall be our food. Their defence is departed from them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.

10 A nd all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. Moses Intercedes for the People

And the whole assembly said that they should be stoned with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting to all the children of Israel.

11 T hen the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?

And Jehovah said to Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe me, for all the signs which I have done among them?

12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

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

13 A nd Moses said to the Lord: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them,

And Moses said to Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for in thy might thou broughtest up this people from the midst of them;

14 a nd they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land, have heard that thou, Jehovah, art in the midst of this people, that thou, Jehovah, lettest thyself be seen eye to eye, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night;

15 N ow if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying,

if thou now slayest this people as one man, then the nations that have heard thy fame will speak, saying,

16 ‘ Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’

Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land that he had sworn unto them, he has therefore slain them in the wilderness.

17 A nd now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying,

And now, I beseech thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

18 ‘ The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. ’

Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in goodness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth.

19 P ardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy loving-kindness, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

20 T hen the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word;

And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word.

21 b ut truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord —

But as surely as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah!

22 b ecause all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,

for all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice,

23 t hey certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.

shall in no wise see the land which I did swear unto their fathers: none of them that despised me shall see it.

24 B ut My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

But my servant Caleb, because he hath another spirit in him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he came; and his seed shall possess it.

25 N ow the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.” Death Sentence on the Rebels

(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley.) To-morrow turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness, on the way to the Red sea.

26 A nd the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

27 “ How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.

How long with this evil assembly, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

28 S ay to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:

Say unto them, As surely as I live, saith Jehovah, if I do not do unto you as ye have spoken in mine ears!

29 T he carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

In this wilderness shall your carcases fall; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number from twenty years old and upwards, who have murmured against me,

30 E xcept for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.

shall in no wise come into the land, concerning which I have lifted up my hand to make you dwell in it; save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31 B ut your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.

But your little ones, of whom ye said they should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land that ye have despised.

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

And as to you, your carcases shall fall in this wilderness.

33 A nd your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.

And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

34 A ccording to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection.

After the number of the days in which ye have searched out the land, forty days, each day for a year shall ye bear your iniquities forty years, and ye shall know mine estrangement.

35 I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’”

I Jehovah have spoken; I will surely do it unto all this evil assembly which have gathered together against me! in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

36 N ow the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land,

And the men whom Moses had sent to search out the land, who returned, and made the whole assembly to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report upon the land,

37 t hose very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord.

even those men who had brought up an evil report upon the land, died by a plague before Jehovah.

38 B ut Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land. A Futile Invasion Attempt

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, lived still of the men that had gone to search out the land.

39 T hen Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.

And Moses told all these sayings to all the children of Israel; then the people mourned greatly.

40 A nd they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!”

And they rose up early in the morning, and went up to the hill-top, saying, Here are we, and we will go up to the place of which Jehovah has spoken; for we have sinned.

41 A nd Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord ? For this will not succeed.

And Moses said, Why now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah? but it shall not prosper!

42 D o not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you.

Go not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies;

43 F or the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

for the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword; for as ye have turned away from Jehovah, Jehovah will not be with you.

44 B ut they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp.

Yet they presumed to go up to the hill-top; but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, did not depart from the midst of the camp.

45 T hen the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.

And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt on that hill, came down and smote them, and cut them to pieces, as far as Hormah.