| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. | 1Then all the community raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. |
| 2And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! | 2And all the Israelites murmured 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 perished in this wilderness! |
| 3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” | 3Why has the LORD brought us into this land only to be killed by the sword, that our wives and our children should become plunder? Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?" |
| 4And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” | 4So they said to one another, "Let's appoint a leader and return to Egypt." |
| 5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. | 5Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces to the ground before the whole assembled community of the Israelites. |
| 6And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes | 6And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two of those who had investigated the land, tore their garments. |
| 7and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. | 7They said to the whole community of the Israelites, "The land we passed through to investigate is an exceedingly good land. |
| 8If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. | 8If the LORD delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us--a land that is flowing with milk and honey. |
| 9Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” | 9Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection has turned aside from them, but the LORD is with us. Do not fear them!" |
| 10Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel. | 10However, the whole community threatened to stone them. But the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting. |
| 11And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? | 11The LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me, and how long will they not believe in me, in spite of the signs that I have done among them? |
| 12I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” | 12I will strike them with the pestilence, and I will disinherit them; I will make you into a nation that is greater and mightier than they!" |
| 13But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, | 13Moses said to the LORD, "When the Egyptians hear it--for you brought up this people by your power from among them-- |
| 14and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. | 14then they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, LORD, are among this people, that you, LORD, are seen face to face, that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire by night. |
| 15Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, | 15If you kill this entire people at once, then the nations that have heard of your fame will say, |
| 16‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ | 16Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to them, he killed them in the wilderness.' |
| 17And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, | 17So now, let the power of my Lord be great, just as you have said, |
| 18‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ | 18The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations.' |
| 19Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.” | 19Please forgive the iniquity of this people according to your great loyal love, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt even until now." |
| 20Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. | 20Then the LORD said, "I have forgiven them as you asked. |
| 21But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, | 21But truly, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. |
| 22none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, | 22For all the people have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tempted me now these ten times, and have not obeyed me, |
| 23shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. | 23they will by no means see the land that I swore to their fathers, nor will any of them who despised me see it. |
| 24But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. | 24Only my servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and has followed me fully--I will bring him into the land where he had gone, and his descendants will possess it. |
| 25Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.” | 25(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites were living in the valleys.) Tomorrow, turn and journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea." |
| 26And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, | 26The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron: |
| 27“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. | 27"How long must I bear with this evil congregation that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me. |
| 28Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: | 28Say to them, 'As I live, says the LORD, I will surely do to you just what you have spoken in my hearing. |
| 29your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, | 29Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness--all those of you who were numbered, according to your full number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me. |
| 30not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. | 30You will by no means enter into the land where I swore to settle you. The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. |
| 31But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. | 31But I will bring in your little ones, whom you said would become victims of war, and they will enjoy the land that you have despised. |
| 32But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. | 32But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, |
| 33And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. | 33and your children will wander in the wilderness forty years and suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your dead bodies lie finished in the wilderness. |
| 34According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ | 34According to the number of the days you have investigated this land, forty days--one day for a year--you will suffer for your iniquities, forty years, and you will know what it means to thwart me. |
| 35I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.” | 35I, the LORD, have said, "I will surely do so to all this evil congregation that has gathered together against me. In this wilderness they will be finished, and there they will die!"'" |
| 36And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— | 36The men whom Moses sent to investigate the land, who returned and made the whole community murmur against him by producing an evil report about the land, |
| 37the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD. | 37those men who produced the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. |
| 38Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive. | 38But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among the men who went to investigate the land, lived. |
| 39When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned greatly. | 39When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, the people mourned greatly. |
| 40And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned.” | 40And early in the morning they went up to the crest of the hill country, saying, "Here we are, and we will go up to the place that the LORD commanded, for we have sinned." |
| 41But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the LORD, when that will not succeed? | 41But Moses said, "Why are you now transgressing the commandment of the LORD? It will not succeed! |
| 42Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. | 42Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, and you will be defeated before your enemies. |
| 43For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” | 43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you." |
| 44But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp. | 44But they dared to go up to the crest of the hill, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. |
| 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah. | 45So the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country swooped down and attacked them as far as Hormah. |
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