Numbers, 14

1. The whole community then cried out in dismay, and the people wept all that night.

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

2. All the Israelites muttered at Moses and Aaron, and the whole community said to them, 'Would to God we had died in Egypt, or even that we had died in this desert!

2. And all the people of Israel murmured 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!

3. Why has Yahweh brought us to this country, for us to perish by the sword and our wives and children to be seized as booty? Should we not do better to go back to Egypt?'

3. Why does the LORD bring 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?"

4. And they said to one another, 'Let us appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.'

4. And they said to one another, "Let us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt."

5. At this, Moses and Aaron threw themselves on their faces in front of the whole assembled community of Israelites,

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

6. while Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, two of the men who had reconnoitred the country, tore their clothes

6. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephun'neh, who were among those who had spied out the land, rent their clothes,

7. and addressed the whole community of Israelites as follows, 'The country we went to reconnoitre is a good country, an excellent country.

7. and 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.

8. If Yahweh is pleased with us, he will lead us into this country and give it to us. It is a country flowing with milk and honey.

8. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey.

9. But do not rebel against Yahweh or be afraid of the people of the country, for we shall gobble them up. Their protecting shade has deserted them, while we have Yahweh on our side. Do not be afraid of them.'

9. Only, 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."

10. The whole community was talking of stoning them, when the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the Israelites, inside the Tent of Meeting,

10. But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

11. and Yahweh said to Moses: 'How much longer will these people treat me with contempt? How much longer will they refuse to trust me, in spite of all the signs I have displayed among them?

11. And 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 which I have wrought among them?

12. I shall strike them with pestilence and disown them. And of you I shall make a new nation, greater and mightier than they are.'

12. I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

13. Moses said to Yahweh: 'Suppose the Egyptians hear about this -- for by your power you brought these people out of their country-

13. But Moses said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for thou didst bring up this people in thy might from among them,

14. and tell the people living in this country. They have heard that you, Yahweh, are with this people, and that you, Yahweh, show yourself to them face to face; that your cloud stands over them and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

14. and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that thou, O LORD, art in the midst of this people; for thou, O LORD, art seen face to face, and thy cloud stands over them and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

15. If you kill this people now as though it were one man, then the nations who have heard about you will say,

15. Now if thou dost kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard thy fame will say,

16. "Yahweh was not able to bring this people into the country which he had sworn to give them, and so he has slaughtered them in the desert."

16. `Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to give to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.'

17. No, my Lord! Now is the time to assert your power as you promised when you said, earlier,

17. And now, I pray thee, let the power of the LORD be great as thou hast promised, saying,

18. "Yahweh, slow to anger and rich in faithful love, forgiving faults and transgression, and yet letting nothing go unchecked, punishing the parents' guilt in the children to the third and fourth generation."

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 fathers upon children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.'

19. In your most faithful love, please forgive this people's guilt, as you have done from Egypt until now.'

19. Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray thee, according to the greatness of thy steadfast love, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."

20. Yahweh said, 'I forgive them as you ask.

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

21. But -- as I live, and as the glory of Yahweh fills the whole world-

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

22. of all these people who have seen my glory and the signs that I worked in Egypt and in the desert, who have put me to the test ten times already and not obeyed my voice,

22. none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the proof these ten times and have not hearkened to my voice,

23. not one shall see the country which I promised to give their ancestors. Not one of those who have treated me contemptuously will see it.

23. shall see the land which I swore to give to their fathers; and none of those who despised me shall see it.

24. However, since my servant Caleb is of another spirit and since he has obeyed me completely, I shall bring him into the country where he has been, and his descendants will own it

24. But 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.

25. (the Amalekites and Canaanites occupy the plain). Tomorrow you will turn about and go back into the desert, in the direction of the Sea of Suph.'

25. Now, since the Amal'ekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea."

26. Yahweh then spoke to Moses and Aaron and said:

26. And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron,

27. 'How much longer am I to endure this perverse community muttering against me? I have heard what the Israelites mutter against me.

27. "How long shall this wicked congregation murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel, which they murmur against me.

28. Say to them, "As I live, Yahweh declares, I shall do to you what I have heard you saying.

28. Say to them, `As I live,' says the LORD, `what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:

29. In this desert your dead bodies will fall, all you who were counted in the census, from the age of twenty years and over who have muttered against me.

29. your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and of all your number, numbered from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me,

30. I swear none of you will enter the country where I swore most solemnly to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun.

30. not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephun'neh and Joshua the son of Nun.

31. Your children, who you said would be seized as booty, will be the ones whom I shall bring in so that they get to know the country you disdained,

31. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.

32. but, as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this desert

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

33. and your children will be nomads in the desert for forty years, bearing the consequences of your faithlessness, until the last one of you lies dead in the desert.

33. And 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.

34. For forty days you reconnoitred the country. Each day will count as a year: for forty years you will bear the consequences of your guilt and learn what it means to reject me."

34. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.'

35. I, Yahweh, have spoken: this is how I swear to treat this entire perverse community united against me. In this desert, to the last man, they shall die.'

35. I, the LORD, have spoken; surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die."

36. The men whom Moses had sent to reconnoitre the country and who on their return had incited the whole community of Israel to mutter about him by disparaging it,

36. And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who returned and made all the congregation to murmur against him by bringing up an evil report against the land,

37. these men who had disparaged the country were all struck dead before Yahweh.

37. the men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by plague before the LORD.

38. Of the men who had gone to reconnoitre the country, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were left alive.

38. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephun'neh remained alive, of those men who went to spy out the land.

39. When Moses told all the Israelites what had been said, the people set up a great outcry.

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

40. Early next morning they set out for the heights of the hill country saying, 'Look, we will set out for the place about which Yahweh said that we have sinned.'

40. And they rose early in the morning, and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, "See, we are here, we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised; for we have sinned."

41. To which, Moses said, 'Why disobey Yahweh's order? No success will come of doing so.

41. But Moses said, "Why now are you transgressing the command of the LORD, for that will not succeed?

42. Do not go, for Yahweh is not among you, and you will be defeated by your enemies.

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

43. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are ahead of you, and you will be put to the sword, since you have turned away from Yahweh, and Yahweh is not with you.'

43. For there the Amal'ekites and the Canaanites are before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you."

44. All the same, they presumptuously set off for the heights of the hill country. Neither the ark of the covenant of Yahweh nor Moses left the camp.

44. But 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.

45. The Amalekites and Canaanites living in those highlands then came down, defeated them and harried them all the way to Hormah.

45. Then the Amal'ekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill country came down, and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.