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 aloud; and the people wept 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 people murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, Oh who would grant that we had died in the land of Egypt! or that we might but die in this wilderness!

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! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return into Egypt?”

And wherefore doth the Lord bring us unto yonder land, to fall by the sword? that our wives and our children may become a prey? is it not better for us to return to 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 appoint a chief, and let us return to Egypt.

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

Then fell Moses and Aaron on their faces before all the assembly of 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.

And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Yephunneh, of those that had spied out the land, rent 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 they said unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, as followeth, The land, through which we have passed to spy it out, this land is exceedingly 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 have delight in us, then will he bring us into this land, and give it to us: a land which is flowing with milk and honey.

9 Only don’t rebel against the LORD, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defence is removed from over them, and the LORD is with us. Don’t fear them.”

Only against the Lord do ye not rebel; and then ye need not fear the people of the land; for they are our bread: their shadow is departed from them, while the Lord is with 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.

But all the congregation said to stone them with stones: when the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation unto 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 amongst them?

And the Lord said unto Moses, How long yet shall this people provoke me? and how long yet will they not believe in me, with all the signs which I have shown in the midst of 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 smite them with the pestilence, and root them out, and I will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.

13 Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from amongst them.

And Moses said unto the Lord, But when the Egyptian hear, from the midst of whom thou hast brought up in thy might this people; —

14 They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you LORD are amongst 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.

And when they tell to the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that thou, Lord, art in the midst of this people, that face to face thou, Lord, art seen, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that in a pillar of cloud thou goest before them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night; —

15 Now if you killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,

That thou hast killed this people as one man: then will the nations that have heard thy fame, say in this manner,

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.’

That because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he had sworn unto them, hath he slain them in the wilderness.

17 Now please let the power of the Lord be great, according as you have spoken, saying,

And now, I beseech thee, let the greatness of the power of the Lord be made manifest, as thou hast spoken, 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 Eternal is long-suffering, and abundant in beneficence, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the 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.”

Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of thy beneficence, and as thou hast been indulgent to this people, from Egypt even until hitherto.

20 The LORD said, “I have pardoned according to your word;

And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word.

21 but in very deed—as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the LORD’s glory—

But as truly as I live, and as all the earth is filled with the glory of the Lord: —

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;

That all the men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I have displayed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened 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.

Shall surely not see the land which I have sworn unto their fathers, yea all those that have provoked me shall not 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 Caleb, as a reward that he had another spirit with him, and followed me fully, —therefore will I bring him into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess 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.”

And the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley: tomorrow turn you, and set forward into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.

26 The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto 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 indulgence be given] to this evil congregation, that murmur against me? the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me, have I heard.

28 Tell them, ‘As I live, says the LORD, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you.

Say unto 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 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,

In this wilderness shall your carcasses fall, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward; ye who have 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.

Truly ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I have lifted up my hand to let you dwell therein; save Caleb the son of Yephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

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.

But your little ones of which ye said, They would become a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

But as for you, your carcasses 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 children shall wander about in the wilderness forty years, and bear your backslidings, until your carcasses be spent 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.’

After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, forty days, yea, each one day for a year, shall ye bear for your iniquities, forty years; and ye shall experience my withdrawal [of protection].

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 it, surely, this will I do unto all this evil congregation that have assembled against me: in this wilderness shall they be spent, and therein shall they 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 had sent to spy out the land, and who returned, and caused all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,

37 even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

Even these men, that had brought up the evil report of the land, died by 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.

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Yephunneh, remained alive of those men, who had gone 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 unto all the children of Israel; and the people mourned greatly.

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 up early in the morning, and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, here we are, and we will go up unto the place of which the Lord hath spoken; for we have sinned.

41 Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of the LORD, since it shall not prosper?

And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the order of the Lord? and it will not prosper.

42 Don’t go up, for the LORD isn’t amongst you; that way you won’t be struck down before your enemies.

Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye may not be smitten before 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 the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye will fall by the sword; since, because ye are turned away from the Lord, the Lord also will not be with you.

44 But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless, the ark of the LORD’s covenant and Moses didn’t depart out of the camp.

Yet they persisted to go up unto the top of the mountain; but the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, did not move 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.

Then came down the Amalekites, and the Canaanites that dwelt on that mountain, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Chormah.