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 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 against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would Elohim that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would Elohim 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?”
And wherefore hath YHWH brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not 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 one to 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,
And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent 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 spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, 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 YHWH delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth 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 All protection has withdrawn from them.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 rebel not ye against YHWH, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and YHWH is with 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.
But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of YHWH appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before 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 YHWH said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed 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 the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
13 And Moses said to the Lord: “But then the Egyptians, from whose midst you led out this people,
And Moses said unto YHWH, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy 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: for they have heard that thou YHWH art among this people, that thou YHWH art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, 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 thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee 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 YHWH was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
17 Therefore, may the strength of the Lord be magnified, just as you swore, saying:
And now, I beseech thee, let the power of YHWH be great, according as thou hast 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.’
YHWH is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto 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.”
Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And the Lord said: “I have forgiven them according to your word.
And YHWH said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21 Also, as I live, the entire world shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of YHWH.
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 which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, 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 unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked 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 hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed 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 Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
And YHWH spake unto Moses and unto 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, which 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.
Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith YHWH, as ye have spoken in mine 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 that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which 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.
Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save 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, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
32 Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.
But as for you, your carcases, they 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 children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted 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 ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
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 YHWH have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that 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,
And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
37 suffered death and were struck down in the sight of the Lord.
Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before YHWH.
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, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.
39 And Moses spoke all these words to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.
And Moses told these sayings unto 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.”
And they rose up early in the morning, and got them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which YHWH hath 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?
And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of YHWH? but it 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 YHWH is not among you; that ye be not smitten 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 the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from YHWH, therefore YHWH 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 unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of YHWH, and Moses, departed 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.
Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
