Numbers 14

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

And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept all that night.

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

And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron; and all the congregation said to them,

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?”

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

And they said one to another, Let us make a ruler, and 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.

And Moses and Aaron fell upon their face before all 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,

But Joshua the [son] of Naue, and Chaleb the [son] of Jephonne, of [the number of] them that spied out the land, rent their garments,

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

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 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 choose us, he will bring us into this land, and give it 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 All protection has withdrawn from them.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 depart not from the Lord; and fear ye 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] among us: fear them not.

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.

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 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?

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 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 smite them with death, and destroy them; and I will make of thee and of thy father's house a great nation, and much greater than this.

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

And Moses said to the Lord, So Egypt shall hear, for thou hast brought up this people from them by thy might.

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,

Moreover all the dwellers upon this land have heard that thou art Lord in the midst of this people, who, O Lord, art seen [by them] face to face, and thy cloud rests upon them, and thou goest before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire.

15 may hear that you have killed so great a multitude, as if they were one man, and they may say:

And [if] thou shalt destroy this nation as one man; then all the nations that have heard thy name shall 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 could not bring this people into the land which he sware to them, he has overthrown them in the wilderness.

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

And now, O Lord, let thy strength be exalted, as thou spakest, 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] long-suffering 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 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.”

Forgive this people their sin according to thy great mercy, as thou wast favourable to them from Egypt until now.

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

And the Lord said to Moses, I am gracious to them according to thy word.

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

But [as] I live and my name is living, so the glory of the Lord shall fill all the earth.

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,

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 hearkened 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 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 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 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 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.”

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 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

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

Say to them, [As] I live, saith the Lord: surely as ye spoke into 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 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 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.

ye 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 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.

And your little ones, who ye said should be a prey, them will I bring into the land; and they shall inherit the land, which ye rejected.

32 Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

And your carcases 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.

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 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.

According to the number of the days during which ye spied the land, forty days, a day for a year, ye shall bear your sins forty years, and ye shall know my fierce anger.

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 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 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,

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

the men that spoke evil reports against the land, even died of 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.

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 And Moses spoke all these words to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.

And Moses spoke these words to all the children of Israel; and the people mourned exceedingly.

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.”

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

And Moses said, Why do ye transgress the word of the Lord? ye shall not prosper.

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

Go not up, for the Lord is not with you; so shall ye fall before the face of 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 Amalec and the Chananite [are] there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword; because ye have disobeyed the Lord and turned aside, and the Lord will not be among 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.

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 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.

And Amalec and the Chananite that dwelt in that mountain came down, and routed them, and destroyed them unto Herman; and they returned to the camp.