Numbers 14
1 That night all the community wept loudly.
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2 All the people of Israel criticized Moses and Aaron. The whole community said to them, “We wish we had died in the land of Egypt, or here in this wilderness!
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said to them, O that we had died in the land of Egypt! or O that we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why did Yahweh bring us to this land to die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become victims. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?”
And why hath the LORD brought us to 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 They said to each another, “Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt.”
And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
5 Then Moses and Aaron lay facedown before all the assembly of the community of the people of Israel.
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were some of those sent to examine the land, tore their clothes.
And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, [who were] of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 They spoke to all the community of the people of Israel. They said, “The land that we passed through and examined is a very good land.
And they spoke to 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 Yahweh is pleased with us, then he will take us into this land and give it to us. The land flows with milk and honey.
If the LORD delighteth in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9 But do not rebel against Yahweh, and do not fear the people in the land, for they are bread to us. Their protection will be removed from them, because Yahweh is with us. Do not fear them.”
Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they [are] bread for us: their defense has departed from them, and the LORD [is] with us: fear them not.
10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of Yahweh appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
But all the congregation required to stone them with stones: and the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
11 Yahweh said to Moses, “How long must this people despise me? How long must they fail to trust me, despite all the signs of my power that I have done among them?
And the LORD said to 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 shown among them?
12 I will attack them with plague, disinherit them, and make from your own clan a nation that will be greater and mightier than they are.”
I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
13 Moses said to Yahweh, “If you do this, then the Egyptians will hear about it, because you rescued this people from them by your power.
And Moses said to the LORD, Then the Egyptians will hear [it], (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them; )
14 They will tell it to this land's inhabitants. They have heard that you, Yahweh, are present with this people, because you are seen face to face. Your cloud stands over our people. 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: [for] they have heard that thou LORD [art] among this people, that thou LORD 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 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations that have heard of your fame will speak and 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 'Because Yahweh could not take this people into the land that he swore to give them, he has killed them in the wilderness.'
Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
17 Now, I beg you, use your great power. For you have said,
And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my LORD be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18 'Yahweh is slow to anger and abundant in covenant faithfulness. He forgives iniquity and transgression. He will by no means clear the guilty when he brings the punishment of the ancestors' sin on their descendants, to the third and fourth generation.'
The LORD [is] long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth [generation].
19 Pardon, I plead with you, this people's sin because of the greatness of your covenant faithfulness, just as you have always forgiven this people from the time they were in Egypt until now.”
Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt, even until now.
20 Yahweh said, “I have pardoned them in keeping with your request,
And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21 but truly, as I live, and as all the earth will be filled with my glory,
But [as] truly [as] I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
22 all those people who saw my glory and the signs of power that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—they have still tempted me these ten times and have not listened to my voice.
Because all those men who 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 So I say that they will certainly not see the land about which I made an oath to their ancestors. Not one of them who despised me will see it,
Surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24 except for my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit. He has followed me fully; I will bring him into the land which he went to examine. His descendants will 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 into which he went; and his seed shall possess it.
25 (Now the Amalekites and Canaanites lived in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and go to the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.”
(Now the Amalekites, and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To-morrow turn you, and pass into the wilderness, by the way of the Red sea.
26 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said,
And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
27 “How long must I tolerate this evil community that criticizes me? I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel against me.
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 Say to them, 'As I live,' says Yahweh, 'as you have spoken in my hearing, I will do this to you:
Say to them, [As truly as] I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:
29 Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all you who complained against me, you who were counted in the census, the whole number of the people from twenty years old and upward.
Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me,
30 You will certainly not go into the land that I promised to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Doubtless ye shall not come into the land [concerning] which I swore to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 But your little ones who you said would be victims, I will take them into the land. They will experience the land that you have rejected!
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 As for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness.
But [as for] you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness.
33 Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years. They must bear the consequences of your acts of rebellion until the end of your corpses in the wilderness.
And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your lewd deeds, until your carcasses shall be wasted in the wilderness.
34 Just as the number of the days during which you examined the land—forty days, you must likewise bear the consequences of your sins for forty years—one year for every day, and you must know what it is like for me to oppose you.
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 I, Yahweh, have spoken. I will certainly do this to all this evil community that is gathered together against me. They will be completely cut off, and here they will die.'”
I the LORD have said, I will surely do it to all this evil congregation, that are gathered against me: in this wilderness, they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36 So the men Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made the entire community grumble against Moses by spreading a bad report about the land—
And the men whom Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing a slander upon the land,
37 these men who had brought out a bad report about the land were struck down, and they died of a plague before Yahweh.
Even those men that brought the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
38 Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.
But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, [who were] of the men that went to search the land, lived [still].
39 When Moses reported these words to all the people of Israel, they mourned very deeply.
And Moses told these sayings to all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
40 They rose up early in the morning and went to the top of the mountain and said, “Look, we are here, and we will go to the place that Yahweh has promised, for we have sinned.”
And they rose early in the morning, and ascended to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we [are here], and will go up to the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.
41 But Moses said, “Why are you now violating Yahweh's command? You will not succeed.
And Moses said, Why now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
42 Do not go, because Yahweh is not with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies.
Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
43 The Amalekites and Canaanites are there, and you will die by the sword because you turned back from following Yahweh. So he will not be 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 the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
44 But they presumed to go up into the hill country; however, neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of Yahweh left the camp.
But they presumed to go up to the hill-top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
45 Then the Amalekites came down, and also the Canaanites who lived on those hills. They attacked the Israelites and defeated 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] to Hormah.
