Numbers 14

1 And so, crying out, the entire crowd wept throughout that night.

All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

2 And all the sons of Israel were murmuring against Moses and Aaron, saying:

All the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against 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 “If only we had died in Egypt,” and, “If only we would perish in this vast wilderness,” and, “May the Lord not lead us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives, as well as our children, be led away as captives. Is it not better to return to Egypt?”

Why does the LORD bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: wouldn't it be better for us to return into Egypt?"

4 And they said to one another, “Let us appoint our leader, and so return to Egypt.”

And they said to one another, "Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt."

5 And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell prone on the ground in the sight of the multitude of the sons of Israel.

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

6 Yet truly, Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who themselves had also viewed the land, tore their garments,

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

7 and they said to the entire multitude of the sons of Israel: “The land that we circled through is very good.

and 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 If the Lord will be gracious to us, he will lead us into it, and he will give us the land flowing 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 which flows with milk and honey.

9 Do not choose to be rebellious against the Lord. And do not fear the people of this land, for, like bread, so are we able to devour them. All protection has withdrawn from them. The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid.”

Only do not rebel against the LORD, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them."

10 And when the entire multitude cried out, and they wanted to crush them with stones, the glory of the Lord appeared, over the roof of the covenant, to all the sons of Israel.

But all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

11 And the Lord said to Moses: “How long will this people disparage me? How long will they refuse to believe me, despite all the signs that I have wrought before them?

The LORD 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 Therefore, I will strike them with a pestilence, and so I will consume them. But you I will make the ruler over a great nation, and one which is mightier than this one.”

I will strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and I will make of you and your father's house a nation greater and mightier than they."

13 And Moses said to the Lord: “But then the Egyptians, from whose midst you led out this people,

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

14 and the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that you, O Lord, are among this people, and that you are seen face to face, and that your cloud protects them, and that you go before them with a column of cloud by day, and a column 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; for you LORD 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 may hear that you have killed so great a multitude, as if they were one man, and they may say:

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

16 ‘He was not able to lead the people into the land about which he had sworn. Therefore, he slew them in the wilderness.’

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

17 Therefore, may the strength of the Lord be magnified, just as you swore, saying:

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

18 ‘The Lord is patient and full of mercy, taking away iniquity and wickedness, and forsaking no one who is harmless. He visits the sins of the fathers upon the sons, to the third and fourth generation.’

'The LORD 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 upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth [generation].'

19 Forgive, I beg you, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have been gracious to them in their journey from Egypt to this place.”

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 And the Lord said: “I have forgiven them according to your word.

The LORD said, "I have pardoned according to your word.

21 Also, as I live, the entire world shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

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

22 And yet, all the men who have seen my majesty, and the signs that I have wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tested me ten times already, and yet have not obeyed my voice,

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 these shall not see the land, about which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who detracted me gaze upon 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 My servant Caleb, who, being full of another spirit, has followed me, I will lead into this land, through which he has wandered, and his offspring shall possess it.

but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him will I bring into the land into which he went; and his descendants shall possess it.

25 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys. Tomorrow, move the camp and return into the wilderness, by the way of the Red Sea.”

Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: tomorrow turn, and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea."

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

27 “How long will this very wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel.

"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 Therefore, say to them: As I live, says the Lord, as you spoke in my hearing, so will I do to you.

Tell them, 'As I live, says the LORD, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:

29 In the wilderness, here shall your carcasses lie. All you who were numbered from twenty years and above, and who have murmured 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 you shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my hand to cause you to live there, 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 in it, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31 But your little ones, about whom you said that they would be a prey to the enemies, I will lead them in, so that they may see the land that has displeased you.

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

32 Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

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

33 Your sons shall wander in the desert for forty years, and they shall bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers are consumed in the desert.

Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness.

34 According to the number of the forty days, during which you examined the land, one year shall be charged for each day. And so, for forty years you shall take back your iniquities, and you shall know my retribution.

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 For just as I have spoken, so shall I do, to this entire most wicked multitude, which has risen up together against me. In the wilderness, here shall it fade away and die.”

I, the LORD, have spoken, surely this will I do to all this evil congregation, who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die."

36 Therefore, all the men, whom Moses had sent to contemplate the land, and who, having returned, had caused the entire multitude to murmur against him, disparaging the land as if it were evil,

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 suffered death and were struck down in the sight of the Lord.

even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

38 But only Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, out of all those who had journeyed to examine 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 And Moses spoke all these words to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.

Moses told these words to all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

40 And behold, rising up at first light, they climbed to the top of the mountain, and they said, “We are prepared to ascend to the place, about which the Lord has spoken, for we have sinned.”

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

41 And Moses said to them: “Why do you transgress the word of the Lord, merely because it will not result in prosperity for you?

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

42 Do not ascend, for the Lord is not with you, lest you be overthrown before your enemies.

Do not go up, for the LORD isn't among you; that you not be struck down before your enemies.

43 The Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, by whose sword you shall be ruined, for you were not willing to consent to the Lord, and so the Lord is not with you.”

For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you shall fall by the sword: because you are turned back from following the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you."

44 But they, having been darkened, ascended to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord, and Moses, did not withdraw from the camp.

But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, did not depart out of the camp.

45 And the Amalekites descended, along with those Canaanites who were living in the mountains. And so, striking and cutting them down, they pursued them all the way to Hormah.

Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down, even to Hormah.