1 T hen all the congregation lifted up their voices 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 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!
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 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?”
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 S o they said to one another, “ Let us appoint a leader and return to 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 in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons 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, of those who had 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 a nd 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.
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 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.
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 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.”
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 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
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 T he 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?
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 smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into 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 B ut Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from their midst,
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 a nd 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.
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 slay this people as one man, then the nations who have heard of Your fame will say,
Now if You kill all this people as one man, then the nations that have heard Your fame will say,
16 ‘ Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, therefore He slaughtered 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 B ut now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared,
And now, I pray You, let the power of my Lord be great, as You have promised, saying,
18 ‘ 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.’
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 ardon, 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
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 S o the Lord said, “ I have pardoned them according to your word;
And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word.
21 b ut indeed, as I live, all the earth will 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 S urely 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,
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 hall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned 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 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.
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 N ow the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out to the wilderness by the way of 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 T he Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
27 “ 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.
How long will this evil congregation murmur against Me? I have heard the complaints the Israelites 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 surely 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 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.
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 in which I swore to settle you, 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 Y our children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will 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 corpses will fall in this wilderness.
But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.
33 Y our sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie 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 ccording 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.
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 , 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.’”
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 A s 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,
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 out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord.
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 out of those men who went to spy out the land. Israel Repulsed
But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among the men who went to search the land, lived still.
39 W hen Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly.
Moses told words to all the Israelites, and mourned greatly.
40 I n 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.”
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 B ut Moses said, “ Why then are you transgressing the commandment of the Lord, when it will not succeed?
But Moses said, Why now do you transgress the command of the Lord, since it will not succeed?
42 D o not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the Lord is not among you.
Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that you be not struck down before your enemies.
43 F or 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.”
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 went up heedlessly to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left 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 and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and beat them down as far as 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.