1 T hen all the people cried out with a loud voice, and they cried that night.

Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.

2 A ll 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!

All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “ Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!

3 W hy 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?”

Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

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

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

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

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.

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

Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;

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

and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “ The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

8 I f 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.

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

9 O nly 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.”

Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

10 B ut 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

But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel. Moses Pleads for the People

11 T he 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?

The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?

12 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.”

I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

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

But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst,

14 A nd 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.

and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people, for You, O Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go 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, the nations who have heard how great You are will say,

Now if You slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say,

16 ‘ 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.’

‘Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’

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

But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared,

18 ‘ 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.’

‘ The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’

19 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.”

Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” The Lord Pardons and Rebukes

20 S o the Lord said, “I have forgiven them as you asked.

So the Lord said, “ I have pardoned them according to your word;

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

but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

22 A ll 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

Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice,

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

shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.

24 B ut 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.

But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.

25 N ow 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

Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”

26 T hen the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

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

“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me.

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

Say to them, ‘ As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;

29 ‘ 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.

your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me.

30 F or 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.

Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

31 Y ou 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.

Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.

32 B ut as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this desert.

But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness.

33 Y our 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.

Your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness.

34 Y ou 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.

According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition.

35 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.’”

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

36 M oses 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.

As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land,

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

even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord.

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

But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land. Israel Repulsed

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

When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly.

40 T hey 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.”

In the morning, however, they rose up early and went up to the ridge of the hill country, saying, “ Here we are; we have indeed sinned, but we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised.”

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

But Moses said, “ Why then are you transgressing the commandment of the Lord, when it will not succeed?

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

Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the Lord is not among you.

43 T he 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.”

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned back from following the Lord. And the Lord will not be with you.”

44 B ut 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.

But they went up heedlessly to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left the camp.

45 T hen 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.

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