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

All the congregation lifted up their voice, 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 children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “We wish that we had died in the land of Egypt, or 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 does Yahweh bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be captured or killed! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return into Egypt?”

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

They said to one another, “Let us make a captain, and let us return into 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 before all the assembly of the congregation of the children 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, who were of those who 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.

They spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding 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 Yahweh delights in 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 don’t rebel against Yahweh, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defense is removed from over them, and Yahweh is with us. Don’t 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 threatened to stone them with stones. Yahweh’s glory appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

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?

Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have worked among them?

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 strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of you 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.

Moses said to Yahweh, “Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from among them.

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.

They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you Yahweh are in the middle of this people; for you Yahweh are seen face to face, and 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 killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,

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 Yahweh was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.’

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

Now please let the power of the Lord be great, according as you have spoken, saying,

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.’

‘Yahweh is slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and disobedience; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation.’

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.”

Please pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, and according as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

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

Yahweh said, “I have pardoned 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 in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with Yahweh’s glory;

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

because all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I worked in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me 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.

surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised 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 had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land into which he went. His offspring shall possess 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

Since the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn, and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

26 T hen the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

Yahweh spoke to Moses and to 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, that 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, what you have said in My hearing I will do to you,’ says the Lord.

Tell them, ‘As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so will I 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 dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured 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, concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, 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.

But your little ones, that you said should be captured or killed, them I will bring in, and they shall 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 dead bodies shall 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 children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies are consumed 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.

After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.’

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, Yahweh, have spoken. I will surely do this to all this evil congregation, who are gathered together against me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall 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.

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,

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 up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Yahweh.

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 of those men who went to spy out the land.

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

Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and 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.”

They rose up early in the morning, and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Behold, we are here, and will go up to the place which Yahweh has promised: for we have sinned.”

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

Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of Yahweh, since it shall not prosper?

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

Don’t go up, for Yahweh isn’t among you; that you not be struck down before your enemies.

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 there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you shall fall by the sword, because you turned back from following Yahweh, therefore Yahweh 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 presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless, the ark of Yahweh’s covenant and Moses didn’t depart out of 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 came down, and the Canaanites who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down, even to Hormah.