The Israelites Leave Sinai

11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year,(A) the cloud lifted(B) from above the tabernacle of the covenant law.(C) 12 Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran.(D) 13 They set out, this first time, at the Lord’s command through Moses.(E)

14 The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard.(F) Nahshon son of Amminadab(G) was in command. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe(H) of Issachar,(I) 16 and Eliab son of Helon(J) was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun.(K) 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out.(L)

18 The divisions of the camp of Reuben(M) went next, under their standard.(N) Elizur son of Shedeur(O) was in command. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon,(P) 20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.(Q) 21 Then the Kohathites(R) set out, carrying the holy things.(S) The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.(T)

22 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim(U) went next, under their standard. Elishama son of Ammihud(V) was in command. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh,(W) 24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.(X)

25 Finally, as the rear guard(Y) for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai(Z) was in command. 26 Pagiel son of Okran was over the division of the tribe of Asher,(AA) 27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.(AB) 28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.

29 Now Moses said to Hobab(AC) son of Reuel(AD) the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,(AE) “We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’(AF) Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”

30 He answered, “No, I will not go;(AG) I am going back to my own land and my own people.(AH)

31 But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.(AI) 32 If you come with us, we will share with you(AJ) whatever good things the Lord gives us.(AK)

33 So they set out(AL) from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord(AM) went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest.(AN) 34 The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.(AO)

35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said,

“Rise up,(AP) Lord!
    May your enemies be scattered;(AQ)
    may your foes flee before you.(AR)(AS)

36 Whenever it came to rest, he said,

“Return,(AT) Lord,
    to the countless thousands of Israel.(AU)

Fire From the Lord

11 Now the people complained(AV) about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord,(AW) and when he heard them his anger was aroused.(AX) Then fire from the Lord burned among them(AY) and consumed(AZ) some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed(BA) to the Lord(BB) and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah,[a](BC) because fire from the Lord had burned among them.(BD)

Quail From the Lord

The rabble with them began to crave other food,(BE) and again the Israelites started wailing(BF) and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.(BG) But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!(BH)

The manna was like coriander seed(BI) and looked like resin.(BJ) The people went around gathering it,(BK) and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. When the dew(BL) settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing(BM) at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble(BN) on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?(BO) 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant,(BP) to the land you promised on oath(BQ) to their ancestors?(BR) 13 Where can I get meat for all these people?(BS) They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.(BT) 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me(BU)—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders(BV) who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.(BW) Have them come to the tent of meeting,(BX) that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you(BY) there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.(BZ) They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.(CA)

18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves(CB) in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,(CC) “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!”(CD) Now the Lord will give you meat,(CE) and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it(CF)—because you have rejected the Lord,(CG) who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”(CH)

21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men(CI) on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”(CJ)

23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?(CK) Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.(CL)

24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud(CM) and spoke with him,(CN) and he took some of the power of the Spirit(CO) that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.(CP) When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied(CQ)—but did not do so again.

26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them,(CR) and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 Joshua son of Nun,(CS) who had been Moses’ aide(CT) since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”(CU)

29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets(CV) and that the Lord would put his Spirit(CW) on them!”(CX) 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail(CY) in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits[b] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.[c] Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth(CZ) and before it could be consumed, the anger(DA) of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.(DB) 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,[d](DC) because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth(DD) and stayed there.

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam(DE) and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,(DF) for he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”(DG) And the Lord heard this.(DH)

(Now Moses was a very humble man,(DI) more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud;(DJ) he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
    I, the Lord, reveal(DK) myself to them in visions,(DL)
    I speak to them in dreams.(DM)
But this is not true of my servant Moses;(DN)
    he is faithful in all my house.(DO)
With him I speak face to face,
    clearly and not in riddles;(DP)
    he sees the form of the Lord.(DQ)
Why then were you not afraid
    to speak against my servant Moses?”(DR)

The anger of the Lord burned against them,(DS) and he left them.(DT)

10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent,(DU) Miriam’s skin was leprous[e]—it became as white as snow.(DV) Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,(DW) 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.(DX) 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!(DY)

14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face,(DZ) would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp(EA) for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp(EB) for seven days,(EC) and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

16 After that, the people left Hazeroth(ED) and encamped in the Desert of Paran.(EE)

Exploring Canaan

13 The Lord said to Moses, “Send some men to explore(EF) the land of Canaan,(EG) which I am giving to the Israelites.(EH) From each ancestral tribe(EI) send one of its leaders.”

So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.(EJ) These are their names:

from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;

from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;(EK)

from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;(EL)

from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;

12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore(EM) the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun(EN) the name Joshua.)(EO)

17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan,(EP) he said, “Go up through the Negev(EQ) and on into the hill country.(ER) 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.(ES)” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)(ET)

21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin(EU) as far as Rehob,(EV) toward Lebo Hamath.(EW) 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron,(EX) where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai,(EY) the descendants of Anak,(EZ) lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)(FA) 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,[f](FB) they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates(FC) and figs.(FD) 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25 At the end of forty days(FE) they returned from exploring the land.(FF)

Report on the Exploration

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh(FG) in the Desert of Paran.(FH) There they reported to them(FI) and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.(FJ) 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!(FK) Here is its fruit.(FL) 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.(FM) We even saw descendants of Anak(FN) there.(FO) 29 The Amalekites(FP) live in the Negev; the Hittites,(FQ) Jebusites(FR) and Amorites(FS) live in the hill country;(FT) and the Canaanites(FU) live near the sea and along the Jordan.(FV)

30 Then Caleb(FW) silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”(FX) 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report(FY) about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours(FZ) those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.(GA) 33 We saw the Nephilim(GB) there (the descendants of Anak(GC) come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers(GD) in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

The People Rebel

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.(GE) All the Israelites grumbled(GF) against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!(GG) Or in this wilderness!(GH) Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?(GI) Our wives and children(GJ) will be taken as plunder.(GK) Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?(GL) And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.(GM)

Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown(GN) in front of the whole Israelite assembly(GO) gathered there. Joshua son of Nun(GP) and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes(GQ) and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.(GR) If the Lord is pleased with us,(GS) he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey,(GT) and will give it to us.(GU) Only do not rebel(GV) against the Lord. And do not be afraid(GW) of the people of the land,(GX) because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with(GY) us.(GZ) Do not be afraid of them.”(HA)

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning(HB) them. Then the glory of the Lord(HC) appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?(HD) How long will they refuse to believe in me,(HE) in spite of all the signs(HF) I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague(HG) and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation(HH) greater and stronger than they.”(HI)

13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.(HJ) 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard(HK) that you, Lord, are with these people(HL) and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face,(HM) that your cloud stays over them,(HN) and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.(HO) 15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath,(HP) so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’(HQ)

17 “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.(HR) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’(HS) 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive(HT) the sin of these people,(HU) just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”(HV)

20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them,(HW) as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live(HX) and as surely as the glory of the Lord(HY) fills the whole earth,(HZ) 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs(IA) I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times(IB) 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath(IC) to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt(ID) will ever see it.(IE) 24 But because my servant Caleb(IF) has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly,(IG) I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.(IH) 25 Since the Amalekites(II) and the Canaanites(IJ) are living in the valleys, turn(IK) back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[g](IL)

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.(IM) 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,(IN) declares the Lord, I will do to you(IO) the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall(IP)—every one of you twenty years old or more(IQ) who was counted in the census(IR) and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land(IS) I swore with uplifted hand(IT) to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh(IU) and Joshua son of Nun.(IV) 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.(IW) 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall(IX) in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,(IY) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years(IZ)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land(JA)—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things(JB) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.(JC)

36 So the men Moses had sent(JD) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble(JE) against him by spreading a bad report(JF) about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report(JG) about the land were struck down and died of a plague(JH) before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land,(JI) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.(JJ)

39 When Moses reported this(JK) to all the Israelites, they mourned(JL) bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country,(JM) saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!(JN)

41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!(JO) 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,(JP) 43 for the Amalekites(JQ) and the Canaanites(JR) will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you(JS) and you will fall by the sword.”

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up(JT) toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.(JU) 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites(JV) who lived in that hill country(JW) came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.(JX)

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 11:3 Taberah means burning.
  2. Numbers 11:31 That is, about 3 feet or about 90 centimeters
  3. Numbers 11:32 That is, possibly about 1 3/4 tons or about 1.6 metric tons
  4. Numbers 11:34 Kibroth Hattaavah means graves of craving.
  5. Numbers 12:10 The Hebrew for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  6. Numbers 13:23 Eshkol means cluster; also in verse 24.
  7. Numbers 14:25 Or the Sea of Reeds

11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony.

12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

13 And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

14 In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

15 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar.

16 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

17 And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle.

18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.

19 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

20 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

21 And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came.

22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud.

23 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

24 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

25 And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

26 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran.

27 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.

28 Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward.

29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.

30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.

31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.

32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

33 And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.

34 And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.

35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.

11 And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.

And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.

And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.

11 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.

25 And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord'S people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!

30 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

31 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.

34 And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

35 And the people journeyed from Kibrothhattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.

12 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.

(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.

10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.

13 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

14 And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.

15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

13 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.

And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.

Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:

18 And see the land, what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;

19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;

20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.

21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

24 The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

14 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

And wherefore hath the Lord 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?

And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

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

And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

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.

If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.

10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

11 And the Lord 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 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 unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)

14 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 thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

18 The Lord 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 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 pardoned according to thy word:

21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

22 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 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

24 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 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

27 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 unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

29 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 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, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

34 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 the Lord 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 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 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord.

38 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 told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned.

41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper.

42 Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.

43 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 unto 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 the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.

Departure from Sinai

11 Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud (A)was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. 12 And the children of Israel set out from the (B)Wilderness of Sinai on (C)their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the (D)Wilderness of Paran. 13 So they started out for the first time (E)according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

14 The [a]standard of the camp of the children of Judah (F)set out first according to their armies; over their army was (G)Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

17 Then (H)the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, (I)carrying the tabernacle.

18 And (J)the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies; over their army was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the (K)holy things. (The tabernacle would be [b]prepared for their arrival.)

22 And (L)the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies; over their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

25 Then (M)the standard of the camp of the children of Dan (the rear guard of all the camps) set out according to their armies; over their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.

28 (N)Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey.

29 Now Moses said to (O)Hobab the son of (P)Reuel[c] the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, (Q)‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and (R)we will treat you well; for (S)the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”

30 And he said to him, “I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.”

31 So Moses said, “Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can [d]be our (T)eyes. 32 And it shall be, if you go with us—indeed it shall be—that (U)whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same we will do to you.”

33 So they departed from (V)the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord (W)went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And (X)the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went out from the camp.

35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:

(Y)“Rise up, O Lord!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.”

36 And when it rested, he said:

“Return, O Lord,
To the many thousands of Israel.”

The People Complain

11 Now (Z)when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; (AA)for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the (AB)fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people (AC)cried out to Moses, and when Moses (AD)prayed to the Lord, the fire was [e]quenched. So he called the name of the place [f]Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.

Now the (AE)mixed multitude who were among them [g]yielded to (AF)intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: (AG)“Who will give us meat to eat? (AH)We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now (AI)our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

Now (AJ)the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and (AK)its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. And (AL)when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.

10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and (AM)the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 11 (AN)So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the [h]burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, (AO)‘Carry them in your bosom, as a (AP)guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You (AQ)swore[i] to their fathers? 13 (AR)Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 (AS)I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and (AT)do not let me see my wretchedness!”

The Seventy Elders

16 So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me (AU)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and (AV)officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. (AW)I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 Then you shall say to the people, [j]‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept (AX)in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 (AY)but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have (AZ)despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, (BA)“Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”

21 And Moses said, (BB)“The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 (BC)Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”

23 And the Lord said to Moses, (BD)“Has[k] the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether (BE)what I say will happen to you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he (BF)gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, (BG)when the Spirit rested upon them, that (BH)they prophesied, [l]although they never did so again.

26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who (BI)had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, (BJ)forbid them!”

29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you [m]zealous for my sake? (BK)Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

The Lord Sends Quail

31 Now a (BL)wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten (BM)homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the (BN)meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. 34 So he called the name of that place [n]Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.

35 (BO)From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.

Dissension of Aaron and Miriam

12 Then (BP)Miriam and Aaron [o]spoke (BQ)against Moses because of the [p]Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for (BR)he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through (BS)Moses? (BT)Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord (BU)heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

(BV)Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. (BW)Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him (BX)in a vision;
I speak to him (BY)in a dream.
Not so with (BZ)My servant Moses;
(CA)He is faithful in all (CB)My house.
I speak with him (CC)face to face,
Even (CD)plainly,[q] and not in [r]dark sayings;
And he sees (CE)the form of the Lord.
Why then (CF)were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, (CG)suddenly Miriam became (CH)leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please (CI)do not lay [s]this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please (CJ)do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please (CK)heal her, O God, I pray!”

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but (CL)spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be (CM)shut[t] out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again. 15 (CN)So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people moved from (CO)Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Spies Sent into Canaan(CP)

13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (CQ)“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

So Moses sent them (CR)from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; (CS)from the tribe of Judah, (CT)Caleb the son of Jephunneh; from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; from the tribe of Ephraim, [u]Hoshea the son of Nun; from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to [v]spy out the land. And Moses called (CU)Hoshea[w] the son of Nun, Joshua.

17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to (CV)the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is [x]rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. (CW)Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land (CX)from the Wilderness of Zin as far as (CY)Rehob, near the entrance of (CZ)Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to (DA)Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of (DB)Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 (DC)Then they came to the [y]Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of [z]Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at (DD)Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly [aa]flows with (DE)milk and honey, (DF)and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the (DG)people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of (DH)Anak there. 29 (DI)The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

30 Then (DJ)Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

31 (DK)But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they (DL)gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and (DM)all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the [ab]giants ((DN)the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were (DO)like[ac] grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were (DP)in their sight.”

Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan

14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people (DQ)wept that night. (DR)And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to [ad]fall by the sword, that our wives and (DS)children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, (DT)“Let us select a leader and (DU)return to Egypt.”

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

But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: (DV)“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord (DW)delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, (DX)‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only (DY)do not rebel against the Lord, (DZ)nor fear the people of the land, for (EA)they[af] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, (EB)and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

10 (EC)And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now (ED)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

Moses Intercedes for the People

11 Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people (EE)reject[ag] Me? And how long will they not (EF)believe Me, with all the [ah]signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will (EG)make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13 And (EH)Moses said to the Lord: (EI)“Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have (EJ)heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the Lord was not (EK)able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 (EL)‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, (EM)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. 19 (EN)Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, (EO)according to the greatness of Your mercy, just (EP)as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

20 Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, (EQ)according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, (ER)all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord 22 (ES)because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now (ET)these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not (EU)see the land of which I [ai]swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant (EV)Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and (EW)has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. 25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and (EX)move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.”

Death Sentence on the Rebels

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 (EY)“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? (EZ)I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, (FA)‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, (FB)all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 (FC)Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I [aj]swore I would make you dwell in. 31 (FD)But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall [ak]know the land which (FE)you have despised. 32 But as for you, (FF)your[al] carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall (FG)be [am]shepherds in the wilderness (FH)forty years, and (FI)bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 (FJ)According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, (FK)forty days, for each day you shall bear your [an]guilt one year, namely forty years, (FL)and you shall know My [ao]rejection. 35 (FM)I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all (FN)this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”

36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, (FO)died by the plague before the Lord. 38 (FP)But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.

A Futile Invasion Attempt(FQ)

39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, (FR)and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, (FS)“Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!”

41 And Moses said, “Now why do you [ap]transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. 42 (FT)Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; (FU)because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

44 (FV)But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as (FW)Hormah.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 10:14 banner
  2. Numbers 10:21 Prepared by the Gershonites and the Merarites
  3. Numbers 10:29 Jethro, Ex. 3:1; LXX Raguel
  4. Numbers 10:31 Act as our guide
  5. Numbers 11:2 extinguished
  6. Numbers 11:3 Lit. Burning
  7. Numbers 11:4 Lit. lusted intensely
  8. Numbers 11:11 responsibility
  9. Numbers 11:12 solemnly promised
  10. Numbers 11:18 Set yourselves apart
  11. Numbers 11:23 Is the Lord’s power limited?
  12. Numbers 11:25 Tg., Vg. and they did not cease
  13. Numbers 11:29 jealous
  14. Numbers 11:34 Lit. Graves of Craving
  15. Numbers 12:1 criticized
  16. Numbers 12:1 Cushite
  17. Numbers 12:8 appearing
  18. Numbers 12:8 riddles
  19. Numbers 12:11 the penalty for this
  20. Numbers 12:14 exiled
  21. Numbers 13:8 LXX, Vg. Oshea
  22. Numbers 13:16 secretly search
  23. Numbers 13:16 LXX, Vg. Oshea
  24. Numbers 13:20 fertile or barren
  25. Numbers 13:23 Wadi
  26. Numbers 13:24 Lit. Cluster
  27. Numbers 13:27 Has an abundance of food
  28. Numbers 13:33 Heb. nephilim
  29. Numbers 13:33 As mere insects
  30. Numbers 14:3 be killed in battle
  31. Numbers 14:5 prostrated themselves
  32. Numbers 14:9 They shall be as food for our consumption.
  33. Numbers 14:11 despise
  34. Numbers 14:11 miraculous signs
  35. Numbers 14:23 solemnly promised
  36. Numbers 14:30 solemnly promised
  37. Numbers 14:31 be acquainted with
  38. Numbers 14:32 You shall die.
  39. Numbers 14:33 Vg. wanderers
  40. Numbers 14:34 iniquity
  41. Numbers 14:34 opposition
  42. Numbers 14:41 overstep