The Twelve Explorers

(Deuteronomy 1:19-33)

1Later, the LORD told Moses, 2“Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I’m about to give to the Israelis. Send one man to represent each of his ancestor’s tribes, every one of them a distinguished leadera among them.”

3So that’s just what Moses did, sending them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the LORD’s instructions. All of the men were Israeli leaders. 4These were their names: From Reuben’s tribe, Zaccur’s son Shammua; 5From Simeon’s tribe, Hori’s son Shaphat; 6From Judah’s tribe, Jephunneh’s son Caleb; 7from Issachar’s tribe, Joseph’s son Igal; 8From Ephraim’s tribe, Nun’s son Hoshea; 9From Benjamin’s tribe, Raphu’s son Palti; 10from Zebulun’s tribe, Sodi’s son Gaddiel; 11from Joseph’s tribe of Manasseh, Susi’s son Gaddi; 12From Dan’s tribe, Gemalli’s son Ammiel; 13from Asher’s tribe, Michael’s son Sethur; 14from Naphtali’s tribe, Vophsi’s son Nahbi; 15and from Gad’s tribe, Machi’s son Geuel. 16These are the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land.

Moses Issues Orders to the Explorers

Moses renamed Nun’s son Hoshea to Joshua. 17Then heb sent them out to explore the land of Canaan. He instructed them, “Go up from here through the Negev,c then ascend to the hill country. 18See what the land is like. Observe whether the people who live there are strong or weak, or whether they’re few or numerous. 19Look to see whether the land where they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are merely tents or if they’re fortified. 20Examine the farmland,d whether it’s fertile or barren, and see if there are fruit-bearing trees in it or not. Be very courageous, and bring back some samples of the fruit of the land.”

As it was, that time of yeare was the season for the first fruits of the grape harvest. 21So they went to explore the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and as far as the outskirts of Hamath. 22They went through the Negevf and reached Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (Hebron had been constructed seven years before Zoan in Egypt had been built).g 23Soon they arrived in the valley of Eshcol, where they cut a single branch of grapes and carried it on a pole between two men,h along with some pomegranates and figs. 24The entire place was called the Eshcol Valley on account of the cluster of grapes that the men of Israel had taken from there.

The Explorers Return

25At the end of 40 days, they all returned from exploring the land, 26came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 27“We arrived at the place where you’ve sent us,” they reported, “and it certainly does flow with milk and honey. Furthermore, this is its fruit, 28except that the people who have settled in the land are strong, and their cities are greatly fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak. 29Amalek lives throughout the Negev,i while the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and on the bank of the Jordan.”

30Caleb silenced the people on Moses’ behalf and responded, “Let’s go up and take control, because we can definitely conquer it.”

31“We can’t attack those people,” the men who were with him said, “because they’re too strong compared to us.”

32So they put out this false report to the Israelis about the land that they had explored: “The land that we’ve explored is onej that devours its inhabitants. All the people whom we observed were giants.k 33We also saw the Nephilim,l the descendants of Anak. Compared to the Nephilim, as we see things, we’re like grasshoppers, and that’s their opinion of us!”