English Standard Version

New Living Translation

1Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.

1Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all 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!

2Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained.

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?”

3“Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as 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.”

4Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back 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 face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel.

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

6Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing.

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 all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful 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.

8And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land 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.”

9Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of 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.

10But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.

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?

11And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs 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 disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!” Moses Intercedes for the People

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,

13But Moses objected. “What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?” he asked the LORD. “They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt.

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.

14Now if you destroy them, the Egyptians will send a report to the inhabitants of this land, who have already heard that you live among your people. They know, LORD, that you have appeared to your people face to face and that your pillar of cloud hovers over them. They know that you go before them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

15Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say,

15Now if you slaughter all these people with a single blow, 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.’

16‘The LORD was not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’

17And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,

17“Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you 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.’

18‘The LORD is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in 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.”

19In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

20Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.

20Then the LORD said, “I will pardon them as you have requested.

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

21But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the LORD’s glory,

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,

22not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice.

23shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.

23They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever 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.

24But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.

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.”

25Now turn around, and don’t go on toward the land where the Amalekites and Canaanites live. Tomorrow you must set out for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea. ” The LORD Punishes the Israelites

26And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

26Then the LORD said 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 put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me.

28Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:

28Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.

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,

29You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die.

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 not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be 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.

31“‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised.

32But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

32But as for you, you will drop dead 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 be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead 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.’

34“‘Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have me for an enemy.’

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 spoken! I will certainly do these things to every member of the community who has conspired against me. They will be destroyed here in this wilderness, and here 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 ten men Moses had sent to explore the land—the ones who incited rebellion against the LORD with their bad report—

37the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD.

37were struck dead with a 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.

38Of the twelve who had explored the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.

39When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned greatly.

39When Moses reported the LORD’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief.

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.”

40Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. “Let’s go,” they said. “We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the LORD has promised us.”

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 disobeying the LORD’s orders to return to the wilderness? It won’t work.

42Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies.

42Do not go up into the land now. You will only be crushed by your enemies because the LORD is not with you.

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.”

43When you face the Amalekites and Canaanites in battle, you will be slaughtered. The LORD will abandon you because you have abandoned the LORD.”

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 the people defiantly pushed ahead toward the hill country, even though neither Moses nor the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant left 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.

45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those hills came down and attacked them and chased them back as far as Hormah.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.