< Numbers 14 >

1 All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept all that night.
2 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!
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron; and all the congregation said to them,
3 Why does the LORD bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be captured or killed! Would not it be better for us to return into Egypt?”
Would we had died in the land of Egypt! or in this wilderness, would we had died! and why does the Lord bring us into this land to fall in war? our wives and our children shall be for a prey: now then it is better to return into Egypt.
4 They said to one another, “Let’s choose a leader, and let’s return into Egypt.”
And they said one to another, Let us make a ruler, and return into Egypt.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
And Moses and Aaron fell upon their face before all the congregation of the children of Israel.
6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes.
But Joshua the [son] of Naue, and Chaleb the [son] of Jephonne, of [the number of] them that spied out the land, tore their garments,
7 They spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.
and spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land which we surveyed is indeed extremely good.
8 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.
If the Lord choose us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which flows with milk and honey.
9 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.”
Only depart not from the Lord; and fear you not the people of the land, for they are meat for us; for the season [of prosperity] is departed from them, but the Lord [is] amongst us: fear them not.
10 But all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. The LORD’s glory appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.
And all the congregation bade stone them with stones; and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud on the tabernacle of witness to all the children of Israel.
11 The LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? 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 does this people provoke me? and how long do they refuse to believe me for all the signs which I have wrought amongst 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 strike them with death, and destroy them; and I will make of you and of your father's house a great nation, and much greater than this.
13 Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from among them.
And Moses said to the Lord, So Egypt shall hear, for you have brought up this people from them by your might.
14 They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you LORD are among 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.
Moreover all the dwellers upon this land have heard that you are Lord in the midst of this people, who, O Lord, are seen [by them] face to face, and your cloud rests upon them, and you go before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire.
15 Now if you killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,
And [if] you shall destroy this nation as one man; then all the nations that have heard your name shall speak, saying,
16 ‘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.’
Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which he sware to them, he has overthrown them in the wilderness.
17 Now please let the power of the Lord be great, according as you have spoken, saying,
And now, O Lord, let your strength be exalted, as you spoke, saying,
18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and disobedience; and he 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] longsuffering and merciful, and true, removing transgressions and iniquities and sins, and he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.
19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, and just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
Forgive this people their sin according to your great mercy, as you were favourable to them from Egypt until now.
20 The LORD said, “I have pardoned according to your word;
And the Lord said to Moses, I am gracious to them according to your word.
21 but in very deed—as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the LORD’s glory—
But [as] I live and my name is living, so the glory of the Lord shall fill all the earth.
22 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;
For all the men who see my glory, and the signs which I wrought in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and have tempted me this tenth time, and have not listened to my voice,
23 surely 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 sware to their fathers; but their children which are with me here, as many as know not good or evil, every inexperienced youth, to them will I give the land; but none who have provoked me shall see it.
24 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.
But my servant Chaleb, because there was another spirit in him, and he followed me, I will bring him into the land into which he entered, and his seed shall inherit it.
25 Since the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
But Amalec and the Chananite dwell in the valley: to-morrow turn and depart for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
26 The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel, which they complain against me.
How long [shall I endure] this wicked congregation? I have heard their murmurings against me, [even] the murmuring of the children of Israel, which they have murmured concerning you.
28 Tell them, ‘As I live, says the LORD, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you.
Say to them, [As] I live, says the Lord: surely as you spoke into my ears, so will I do to you.
29 Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me,
Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all those of you that were reviewed, and those of you that were numbered from twenty years old and upward, all that murmured against me,
30 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.
you shall not enter into the land for which I stretched out my hand to establish you upon it; except only Chaleb the son of Jephonne, and Joshua the [son] of Naue.
31 But I will bring in your little ones that you said should be captured or killed, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.
And your little ones, who you said should be a prey, them will I bring into the land; and they shall inherit the land, which you rejected.
32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.
And your carcases shall fall in this wilderness.
33 Your 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 sons shall be fed in the wilderness forty years, and they shall bear your fornication, until your carcases be consumed in the wilderness.
34 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.’
According to the number of the days during which you spied the land, forty days, a day for a year, you shall bear your sins forty years, and you shall know my fierce anger.
35 I, the LORD, 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 will I do thus to this evil congregation that has risen up together against me: in this wilderness they shall be utterly consumed, and there they shall die.
36 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,
And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who came and murmured against it to the assembly so as to bring out evil words concerning the land, —
37 even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
the men that spoke evil reports against the land, even died of the plague before the Lord.
38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.
And Joshua the son of Naue and Chaleb the son of Jephonne [still] lived of those men that went to spy out the land.
39 Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.
And Moses spoke these words to all the children of Israel; and the people mourned exceedingly.
40 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 the LORD 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 that are here will go up to the place of which the Lord has spoken, because we have sinned.
41 Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of the LORD, since it shall not prosper?
And Moses said, Why do you transgress the word of the Lord? you shall not prosper.
42 Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you; that way you will not be struck down before your enemies.
Go not up, for the Lord is not with you; so shall you fall before the face of your enemies.
43 For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you will fall by the sword because you turned back from following the LORD; therefore the LORD will not be with you.”
For Amalec and the Chananite [are] there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have disobeyed the Lord and turned aside, and the Lord will not be amongst you.
44 But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless, the ark of the LORD’s covenant and Moses did not depart out of the camp.
And having forced their passage, they went up to the top of the mountain; but the ark of the covenant of the Lord and Moses stirred not out of the camp.
45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down even to Hormah.
And Amalec and the Chananite that lived in that mountain came down, and routed them, and destroyed them to Herman; and they returned to the camp.

< Numbers 14 >