Numbers 14

1 And all the company lifteth up and give forth their voice, and the people weep during that night;

That night all the community wept loudly.

2 and all the sons of Israel murmur against Moses, and against Aaron, and all the company say unto them, 'O that we had died in the land of Egypt, or in this wilderness, O that we had died!

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!

3 and why is Jehovah bringing us in unto this land to fall by the sword? our wives and our infants are become a prey; is it not good for us to turn back to Egypt?'

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?”

4 And they say one unto another, 'Let us appoint a head, and turn back to Egypt.'

They said to each another, “Let us choose another leader, and let us return to Egypt.”

5 And Moses falleth — Aaron also — on their faces, before all the assembly of the company of the sons of Israel.

Then Moses and Aaron lay facedown before all the assembly of the community of the people of Israel.

6 And Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those spying the land, have rent their garments,

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were some of those sent to examine the land, tore their clothes.

7 and they speak unto all the company of the sons of Israel, saying, 'The land into which we have passed over to spy it, [is] a very very good land;

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.

8 if Jehovah hath delighted in us, then He hath brought us in unto this land, and hath given it to us, a land which is flowing with milk and honey;

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.

9 only, against Jehovah rebel not ye: and ye, fear not ye the people of the land, for our bread they [are]; their defence hath turned aside from off them, and Jehovah [is] with us; fear them not.'

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.”

10 And all the company say to stone them with stones, and the honour of Jehovah hath appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the sons of Israel.

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.

11 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Until when doth this people despise Me? and until when do they not believe in Me, for all the signs which I have done in its midst?

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?

12 I smite it with pestilence, and dispossess it, and make thee become a nation greater and mightier than it.'

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.”

13 And Moses saith unto Jehovah, 'Then have the Egyptians heard! for Thou hast brought up with Thy power this people out of their midst,

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.

14 and they have said [it] unto the inhabitant of this land, they have heard that Thou, Jehovah, [art] in the midst of this people, that eye to eye Thou art seen — O Jehovah, and Thy cloud is standing over them, — and in a pillar of cloud Thou art going before them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

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.

15 'And Thou hast put to death this people as one man, and the nations who have heard Thy fame have spoken, saying,

Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations that have heard of your fame will speak and say,

16 From Jehovah's want of ability to bring in this people unto the land which He hath sworn to them — He doth slaughter them in the wilderness.

'Because Yahweh could not take this people into the land that he swore to give them, he has killed them in the wilderness.'

17 'And now, let, I pray Thee, the power of my Lord be great, as Thou hast spoken, saying:

Now, I beg you, use your great power. For you have said,

18 Jehovah [is] slow to anger, and of great kindness; bearing away iniquity and transgression, and not entirely acquitting, charging iniquity of fathers on sons, on a third [generation], and on a fourth; —

'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.'

19 forgive, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of Thy kindness, and as Thou hast borne with this people from Egypt, even until now.'

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.”

20 And Jehovah saith, 'I have forgiven, according to thy word;

Yahweh said, “I have pardoned them in keeping with your request,

21 and yet, I live — and it is filled — the whole earth — [with] the honour of Jehovah;

but truly, as I live, and as all the earth will be filled with my glory,

22 for all the men who are seeing My honour, and My signs, which I have done in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and try Me these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice —

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.

23 they see not the land which I have sworn to their fathers, yea, none of those despising Me see it;

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,

24 and My servant Caleb, because there hath been another spirit with him, and he is fully after Me — I have brought him in unto the land whither he hath entered, and his seed doth possess it.

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.

25 'And the Amalekite and the Canaanite are dwelling in the valley; to-morrow turn ye and journey for yourselves into the wilderness — the way of the Red Sea.'

(Now the Amalekites and Canaanites lived in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and go to the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.”

26 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,

Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron. He said,

27 'Until when hath this evil company that which they are murmuring against Me? the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they are murmuring against Me, I have heard;

“How long must I tolerate this evil community that criticizes me? I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel against me.

28 say unto them, I live — an affirmation of Jehovah — if, as ye have spoken in Mine ears — so I do not to you;

Say to them, 'As I live,' says Yahweh, 'as you have spoken in my hearing, I will do this to you:

29 in this wilderness do your carcases fall, even all your numbered ones, to all your number, from a son of twenty years and upward, who have murmured against Me;

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.

30 ye — ye come not in unto the land which I have lifted up My hand to cause you to tabernacle in it, except Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun.

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.

31 'As to your infants — of whom ye have said, A spoil they are become — I have even brought them in, and they have known the land which ye have kicked against;

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!

32 as to you — your carcases do fall in this wilderness,

As for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness.

33 and your sons are evil in the wilderness forty years, and have borne your whoredoms till your carcases are consumed in the wilderness;

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.

34 by the number of the days [in] which ye spied the land, forty days, — a day for a year, a day for a year — ye do bear your iniquities, forty years, and ye have known my breaking off;

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.

35 I [am] Jehovah, I have spoken; if I do not this to all this evil company who are meeting against me; — in this wilderness they are consumed, and there they die.'

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.'”

36 And the men whom Moses hath sent to spy the land, and they turn back and cause all the company to murmur against him, by bringing out an evil account concerning the land,

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—

37 even the men bringing out an evil account of the land die by the plague before Jehovah;

these men who had brought out a bad report about the land were struck down, and they died of a plague before Yahweh.

38 and Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, have lived of those men who go to spy out the land.

Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.

39 And Moses speaketh these words unto all the sons of Israel, and the people mourn exceedingly,

When Moses reported these words to all the people of Israel, they mourned very deeply.

40 and they rise early in the morning, and go up unto the top of the mountain, saying, 'Here we [are], and we have come up unto the place which Jehovah hath spoken of, for we have sinned.'

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.”

41 And Moses saith, 'Why [is] this? — ye are transgressing the command of Jehovah, and it doth not prosper;

But Moses said, “Why are you now violating Yahweh's command? You will not succeed.

42 go not up, for Jehovah is not in your midst, and ye are not smitten before your enemies;

Do not go, because Yahweh is not with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies.

43 for the Amalekite and the Canaanite [are] there before you, and ye have fallen by the sword, because that ye have turned back from after Jehovah, and Jehovah is not with you.'

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.”

44 And they presume to go up unto the top of the mountain, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah and Moses have not departed out of the midst of the camp.

But they presumed to go up into the hill country; however, neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of Yahweh left the camp.

45 And the Amalekite and the Canaanite who are dwelling in that mountain come down and smite them, and beat them down — unto Hormah.

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.