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

And all the congregation cried out with a loud voice, and wept that night.

2 A ll 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!

All the Israelites grumbled and deplored their situation, accusing Moses and Aaron, to whom the whole congregation said, Would that we had died in Egypt! Or that we had died in this wilderness!

3 W hy 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?”

Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be a prey. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?

4 T hey said to one another, “Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.”

And they said one to another, Let us choose a captain 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 before all the assembly of Israelites.

6 J oshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes.

And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among the scouts who had searched the land, rent their clothes,

7 T hey 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.

And they said to all the company of Israelites, The land through which we passed as scouts is an exceedingly good land.

8 I f 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.

If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

9 O nly 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.”

Only do not rebel against the Lord, neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense and the shadow is removed from over them, but the Lord is with us. Fear them not.

10 B ut all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. Yahweh’s glory appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

But all the congregation said to stone with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting before all the Israelites.

11 Y ahweh 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?

And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people provoke (spurn, despise) Me? And how long will it be before they believe Me, for all the signs which I have performed among them?

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

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

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

But Moses said to the Lord, Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for You brought up this people in Your might from among them.

14 T hey 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.

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

15 N ow if you killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,

Now if You kill all this people as one man, then the nations that have heard Your fame will say,

16 ‘ 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.’

Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which He swore to give to them, therefore He has slain them in the wilderness.

17 N ow please let the power of the Lord be great, according as you have spoken, saying,

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

18 ‘ 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.’

The Lord is long-suffering and slow to anger, and abundant in mercy and loving-kindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth generation.

19 P lease 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.”

Pardon, I pray You, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your mercy and loving-kindness, just as You have forgiven from Egypt until now.

20 Y ahweh said, “I have pardoned according to your word:

And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word.

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

But truly as I live and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,

22 b ecause 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;

Because all those men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tested and proved Me these ten times and have not heeded My voice,

23 s urely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised me see it.

Surely they shall not see the land which I swore to give to their fathers; nor shall any who provoked (spurned, despised) Me see it.

24 B ut 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.

But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.

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

Now because the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn and go into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea.

26 Y ahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

27 “ 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.

How long will this evil congregation murmur against Me? I have heard the complaints the Israelites murmur against Me.

28 T ell them, ‘As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you.

Tell them, As I live, says the Lord, what you have said in My hearing I will do to you:

29 Y our 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,

Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness—of all who were numbered of you, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against Me,

30 s urely 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.

Surely none shall come into the land in which I swore to make you dwell, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

31 B ut 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.

But your little ones whom you said would be a prey, them will I bring in and they shall know the land which you have despised and rejected.

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

But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

33 Y our children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies are consumed in the wilderness.

And your children shall be wanderers and shepherds in the wilderness for forty years and shall suffer for your whoredoms (your infidelity to your espoused God), until your corpses are consumed in the wilderness.

34 A fter 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.’

After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for each day a year shall you bear and suffer for your iniquities, even for forty years, and you shall know My displeasure.

35 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.”

I the Lord have spoken; surely this will I do to all this evil congregation who is gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and here they shall die.

36 T he 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,

And the men whom Moses sent to search the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble and complain against him by bringing back a slanderous report of the land,

37 e ven those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Yahweh.

Even those men who brought the evil 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, remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.

But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among the men who went to search the land, lived still.

39 M oses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.

Moses told words to all the Israelites, and mourned greatly.

40 T hey 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.”

And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, Behold, we are here, and we intend to go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned.

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

But Moses said, Why now do you transgress the command of the Lord, since it will not succeed?

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

Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that you be not struck down before your enemies.

43 F or 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.”

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from following after the Lord, therefore 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 Yahweh’s covenant and Moses didn’t depart out of the camp.

But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country; however, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp.

45 T hen the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down, even to Hormah.

Then the Amalekites came down and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill country and smote the Israelites and beat them back, even as far as Hormah.