³ So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.^(A)

²¹ So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin^(A) as far as Rehob,^(B) toward Lebo Hamath.^{(C) 22} They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron,^(D) where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai,^(E) the descendants of Anak,^(F) lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)^{(G) 23} When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,^[a](H) 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^(I) and figs.^{(J) 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^(K) they returned from exploring the land.^(L)

Report on the Exploration

²⁶ They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh^(M) in the Desert of Paran.^(N) There they reported to them^(O) and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.^{(P) 27} They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!^(Q) Here is its fruit.^{(R) 28} But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.^(S) We even saw descendants of Anak^(T) there.^{(U) 29} The Amalekites^(V) live in the Negev; the Hittites,^(W) Jebusites^(X) and Amorites^(Y) live in the hill country;^(Z) and the Canaanites^(AA) live near the sea and along the Jordan.^(AB)”

³⁰ Then Caleb^(AC) 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.”^{(AD) 32} And they spread among the Israelites a bad report^(AE) about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours^(AF) those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.^{(AG) 33} We saw the Nephilim^(AH) there (the descendants of Anak^(AI) come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers^(AJ) in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

²² Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy^(A) out the land^(B) for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

²³ The idea seemed good to me; so I selected^(C) twelve of you, one man from each tribe. ²⁴ They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol^(D) and explored it. ²⁵ Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported,^(E) “It is a good land^(F) that the Lord our God is giving us.”^(G)

Rebellion Against the Lord

²⁶ But you were unwilling to go up;^(H) you rebelled^(I) against the command of the Lord your God. ²⁷ You grumbled^(J) in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. ²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller^(K) than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites^(L) there.’”