²⁷ So they reported to him and said, “We came into the land where you sent us, and ^(A)it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and ^(B)this is its fruit. ²⁸ Nevertheless, ^(C)the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And indeed, we saw ^(D)the ^[a]descendants of Anak there! ²⁹ Amalek is living in the land of ^(E)the Negev, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and ^(F)the Amorites are living in the hill country, and ^(G)the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb quieted the people ^[b]before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will certainly prevail over it.” ³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “^(H)We are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us.” ³² So they brought ^(I)a bad report of the land which they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to spy out is ^(J)a land that devours its inhabitants; and ^(K)all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature. ³³ We also saw the ^[c](L)Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and ^(M)we were like ^[d]grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation ^[e]raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept ^[f]that night. ² And all the sons of Israel ^(N)grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “^(O)If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! ³ So why is the Lord bringing us into this land ^(P)to fall by the sword? ^(Q)Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they said to one another, “^(R)Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”