Liber Numeri 14

1 igitur vociferans omnis turba flevit nocte illa

Then did all the assembly lift up, and give forth their voice, —and the people wept throughout that night.

2 et murmurati sunt contra Mosen et Aaron cuncti filii Israhel dicentes

And all the sons of Israel, murmured against Moses and against Aaron, —and all the assembly said unto them—Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt, Or in this wilderness, oh that we had died!

3 utinam mortui essemus in Aegypto et non in hac vasta solitudine utinam pereamus et non inducat nos Dominus in terram istam ne cadamus gladio et uxores ac liberi nostri ducantur captivi nonne melius est reverti in Aegyptum

Wherefore then is Yahweh bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones, will become a prey! Would it not be well for us to go back towards Egypt?

4 dixeruntque alter ad alterum constituamus nobis ducem et revertamur in Aegyptum

And they said, one to another, —Let us appoint a head and let us go back towards Egypt.

5 quo audito Moses et Aaron ceciderunt proni in terram coram omni multitudine filiorum Israhel

Then did Moses and Aaron fall upon their faces, —before all the convocation of the assembly of the sons of Israel.

6 at vero Iosue filius Nun et Chaleb filius Iepphonne qui et ipsi lustraverant terram sciderunt vestimenta sua

But, Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of them who spied out the land, rent their clothes;

7 et ad omnem multitudinem filiorum Israhel locuti sunt terram quam circuivimus valde bona est

and spake unto all the assembly of the sons of Israel, saying, —As for the land through which we passed to spy it out, Good, is the land, exceedingly,

8 si propitius fuerit Dominus inducet nos in eam et tradet humum lacte et melle manantem

If Yahweh delight in us, then will he bring us into this land, and give it unto us, —A land which doth flow with milk and honey.

9 nolite rebelles esse contra Dominum neque timeatis populum terrae huius quia sicut panem ita eos possumus devorare recessit ab illis omne praesidium Dominus nobiscum est nolite metuere

Only against Yahweh, do not rebel. Do not, ye, fear the people of the land, For our food, they are, —Their shade hath departed, from over them. And Yahweh is with us, Do not fear them!

10 cumque clamaret omnis multitudo et lapidibus eos vellet opprimere apparuit gloria Domini super tectum foederis cunctis filiis Israhel

But when all the assembly bade stone them with stones, the glory of Yahweh, appeared, in the tent of meeting, unto all the sons of Israel.

11 et dixit Dominus ad Mosen usquequo detrahet mihi populus iste quousque non credent mihi in omnibus signis quae feci coram eis

Then said Yahweh unto Moses How long! must this people, despise me? And how long can they not believe in me. in view of all the signs which I have done in their midst?

12 feriam igitur eos pestilentia atque consumam te autem faciam principem super gentem magnam et fortiorem quam haec est

Let me smite them with pestilence, and disinherit them, —And make thee into a nation greater and more mighty than they!

13 et ait Moses ad Dominum ut audiant Aegyptii de quorum medio eduxisti populum istum

Then said Moses unto Yahweh, —So shall the Egyptians hear, For thou hast brought up. in thy might, this people out of their midst;

14 et habitatores terrae huius qui audierunt quod tu Domine in populo isto sis et facie videaris ad faciem et nubes tua protegat illos et in columna nubis praecedas eos per diem et in columna ignis per noctem

And will tell it unto the inhabitants of this land: They have heard, That, thou, Yahweh, art in the midst of this people, —That eye to eye, is he seen—thou, Yahweh, And thy cloud, is standing over them, And in a pillar of cloud, thou thyself, art going on before them by day, And in a pillar of fire, by night.

15 quod occideris tantam multitudinem quasi unum hominem et dicant

As soon, therefore, as thou hast put to death this people as one man, so soon will the nations who have heard thy fame speak saying:

16 non poterat introducere populum in terram pro qua iuraverat idcirco occidit eos in solitudine

Because Yahweh, was not able, to bring in this people into the land which he had sworn unto them, therefore did he slay them in the desert.

17 magnificetur ergo fortitudo Domini sicut iurasti dicens

Now, therefore, I beseech thee let the might of My Lord, be magnified, —according as thou didst speak saying:

18 Dominus patiens et multae misericordiae auferens iniquitatem et scelera nullumque innoxium derelinquens qui visitas peccata patrum in filios in tertiam et quartam generationem

Yahweh—slow to anger and great in lovingkindness, Forgiving iniquity and transgression: Though he will not leave, wholly unpunished, Visiting the iniquity of fathers upon sons, Upon a third generation, and upon a fourth.

19 dimitte obsecro peccatum populi tui huius secundum magnitudinem misericordiae tuae sicut propitius fuisti egredientibus de Aegypto usque ad locum istum

Pardon I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, According to the greatness of thy lovingkindness, —And according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even thus far.

20 dixitque Dominus dimisi iuxta verbum tuum

And Yahweh said, I have pardoned according to thy word;

21 vivo ego et implebitur gloria Domini universa terra

Nevertheless as I live, —and that all the earth may be filled with the glory of Yahweh,

22 attamen omnes homines qui viderunt maiestatem meam et signa quae feci in Aegypto et in solitudine et temptaverunt me iam per decem vices nec oboedierunt voci meae

Verily, none of the men who have been beholding my glory and my signs, which I have done in Egypt and in the desert, —and have put me to the proof these ten times, and have not hearkened unto my voice,

23 non videbunt terram pro qua iuravi patribus eorum nec quisquam ex illis qui detraxit mihi intuebitur eam

shall see the land, which I sware to their fathers, —yea, none of my despisers, shall see it.

24 servum meum Chaleb qui plenus alio spiritu secutus est me inducam in terram hanc quam circuivit et semen eius possidebit eam

But my servant Caleb—because there was another spirit with him, and he followed me fully, therefore will I bring him into the land whereinto he entered, and his seed, shall possess it.

25 quoniam Amalechites et Chananeus habitant in vallibus cras movete castra et revertimini in solitudinem per viam maris Rubri

Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites, are dwelling in the valley, —to-morrow, turn ye away; and set yourselves forward towards the desert by the way of the Red Sea.

26 locutusque est Dominus ad Mosen et Aaron dicens

Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying:

27 usquequo multitudo haec pessima murmurat contra me querellas filiorum Israhel audivi

How long, as regardeth this evil assembly, are they to be murmuring against me? The murmuring of the sons of Israel which, they, have been murmuring against me, have I heard,

28 dic ergo eis vivo ego ait Dominus sicut locuti estis audiente me sic faciam vobis

Say unto them: As I live, is the oracle of Yahweh: Surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so, will I do unto you: —

29 in solitudine hac iacebunt cadavera vestra omnes qui numerati estis a viginti annis et supra et murmurastis contra me

In this desert, shall your dead bodies fall And none of you who were numbered in all your counting, from twenty years old and upwards, —who have murmured against me,

30 non intrabitis terram super quam levavi manum meam ut habitare vos facerem praeter Chaleb filium Iepphonne et Iosue filium Nun

none of you, shall enter into the land, as to which I uplifted my hand to give you an abode therein, —save Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun:

31 parvulos autem vestros de quibus dixistis quod praedae hostibus forent introducam ut videant terram quae vobis displicuit

whereas, your little ones, of whom ye said, they should become, a prey, I will bring them in, and they shall acknowledge the land which ye refused.

32 vestra cadavera iacebunt in solitudine

But, your own dead bodies, shall fall in this desert;

33 filii vestri erunt vagi in deserto annis quadraginta et portabunt fornicationem vestram donec consumantur cadavera patrum in deserto

and your sons, shall be shepherds in the desert forty years, and shall bear your unchastities, —until your dead bodies are consumed in the desert.

34 iuxta numerum quadraginta dierum quibus considerastis terram annus pro die inputabitur et quadraginta annis recipietis iniquitates vestras et scietis ultionem meam

By the number of the days wherein ye spied out the land—forty days, each day for a year, shall they bear your iniquities—forty years, —so shall ye know my opposition.

35 quoniam sicut locutus sum ita faciam omni multitudini huic pessimae quae consurrexit adversum me in solitudine hac deficiet et morietur

I—Yahweh, have spoken, Verily this, will I do to all this evil assembly, who have conspired against me, —In this desert, shall they be consumed And there, shall they die.

36 igitur omnes viri quos miserat Moses ad contemplandam terram et qui reversi murmurare fecerant contra eum omnem multitudinem detrahentes terrae quod esset mala

Now as for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, —who returned and caused all the assembly to murmur against him by giving out a rumour against the land,

37 mortui sunt atque percussi in conspectu Domini

they died—the men who gave out an evil rumour of the land, —by the plague, before Yahweh.

38 Iosue autem filius Nun et Chaleb filius Iepphonne vixerunt ex omnibus qui perrexerant ad considerandam terram

But, Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh! remained alive—of those men who went to spy out the land.

39 locutusque est Moses universa verba haec ad omnes filios Israhel et luxit populus nimis

And Moses spake these words unto all the sons of Israel, and the people were greatly depressed.

40 et ecce mane primo surgentes ascenderunt verticem montis atque dixerunt parati sumus ascendere ad locum de quo Dominus locutus est quia peccavimus

So they arose early in the morning, and went up into the top of the mountain, saying, —We are here—therefore will we go up into the place as to which Yahweh hath said that we have sinned.

41 quibus Moses cur inquit transgredimini verbum Domini quod vobis non cedet in prosperum

But Moses said, Wherefore is it that, ye, are going beyond the bidding of Yahweh, —since that cannot prosper?

42 nolite ascendere non enim est Dominus vobiscum ne corruatis coram inimicis vestris

Do not go up, For Yahweh is not in your midst, —Lest ye be smitten down before your enemies.

43 Amalechites et Chananeus ante vos sunt quorum gladio corruetis eo quod nolueritis adquiescere Domino nec erit Dominus vobiscum

For, the Amalekites and the Canaanites, are there before you, So shall ye fall by the sword, —For inasmuch as ye have turned back from following Yahweh, Therefore will Yahweh not be with you.

44 at illi contenebrati ascenderunt in verticem montis arca autem testamenti Domini et Moses non recesserunt de castris

But they presumptuously ascended into the top of the mountain, —though, neither, the ark of the covenant of Yahweh nor Moses moved out of the midst of the camp.

45 descenditque Amalechites et Chananeus qui habitabant in monte et percutiens eos atque concidens persecutus est usque Horma

So ten the Amalekites and the Canaanites, that dwelt in that mountain, came down, —and smote them and routed them even unto Hormah.