The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people (A)wept that night. And all the people of Israel (B)grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or (C)would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? (D)Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, (E)“Let us choose a leader and (F)go back to Egypt.”

Then (G)Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. (H)And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, (I)“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If (J)the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, (K)a land that flows with milk and honey. Only (L)do not rebel against the Lord. And (M)do not fear the people of the land, for (N)they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 (O)Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But (P)the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people (Q)despise me? And how long will they not (R)believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I (S)will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

Moses Intercedes for the People

13 But (T)Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, 14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. (U)They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and (V)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. 15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, 16 ‘It is because the Lord (W)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.’ 17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, 18 (X)‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, (Y)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ 19 Please (Z)pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just (AA)as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

God Promises Judgment

20 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, (AB)according to your word. 21 But truly, as I live, and as all (AC)the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22 (AD)none 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 (AE)ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 (AF)shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. 24 But my servant (AG)Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has (AH)followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. 25 (AI)Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, (AJ)turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall (AK)this wicked congregation grumble against me? (AL)I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, (AM)‘As I live, declares the Lord, (AN)what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 (AO)your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and (AP)of all your number, listed in the census (AQ)from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I (AR)swore that I would make you dwell, (AS)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 (AT)But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that (AU)you have rejected. 32 But as for you, (AV)your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children (AW)shall be shepherds in the wilderness (AX)forty years and shall (AY)suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 (AZ)According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, (BA)forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ 35 (BB)I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all (BC)this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

36 (BD)And 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— 37 the men who brought up a bad report of the land—(BE)died by plague before the Lord. 38 Of those men who went to spy out the land, (BF)only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

Israel Defeated in Battle

39 When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people (BG)mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, (BH)“Here we are. We will go up to the place that the Lord has promised, for we have sinned.” 41 (BI)But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the Lord, when that will not succeed? 42 (BJ)Do not go up, (BK)for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. 43 For there (BL)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.” 44 (BM)But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither (BN)the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp. 45 Then (BO)the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to (BP)Hormah.

14 And Kol HaEdah lifted up their voice, and cried; and HaAm wept that night.

And Kol Bnei Yisroel murmured against Moshe and against Aharon: and the Kol HaEdah said unto them, If only we had died in Eretz Mitzrayim! Or if only we had died in this midbar!

And why hath Hashem brought us unto this land, to fall by the cherev, that nasheinu (our wives) and our children should be as plunder? Were it not better for us to go back unto Mitzrayim?

And they said one to another, Let us make a Rosh (Leader), and let us go back unto Mitzrayim.

Then Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before Kol Kehal Adat Bnei Yisroel.

And Yehoshua ben Nun, and Kalev ben Yephunneh, which were of them that explored HaAretz, tore their clothes:

And they spoke unto Kol Adat Bnei Yisroel, saying, HaAretz, which we passed through to explore it, is a tovah haaretz me’od me’od.

If Hashem delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land zavat cholov udevash.

Only rebel not ye against Hashem, neither fear ye the Am HaAretz; for they are lachmeinu (our bread): their protection is departed from them, and Hashem is with us: fear them not.

10 But Kol HaEdah talked of stoning them with avanim. And the Kavod Hashem appeared in the Ohel Mo’ed before Kol Bnei Yisroel.

11 And Hashem said unto Moshe, How long will this people treat Me with contempt? And how long will it be until they believe in Me, for all the otot which I have performed among them?

12 I will strike them down with dever (pestilence), and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

13 And Moshe said unto Hashem, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy ko’ach [might] from among them;)

14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land; for they have heard that Thou Hashem art among this people, that Thou Hashem art seen eye to eye, and that Thy Anan standeth over them, and that Thou goest before them, by day in an Ammud Anan, and in an Ammud Eish by night.

15 Now if Thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the Goyim which have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying,

16 Because Hashem was not able to bring this people into HaAretz which He promised them by oath, therefore He hath slaughtered (shachat) them in the midbar.

17 And now, I beseech thee, let the Ko’ach Adonoi be great, according as Thou hast spoken, saying,

18 Hashem is slow of anger, and of rav chesed, forgiving avon and peysha, and by no means exonerating the guilty, visiting the avon of the avot upon the banim unto the third and fourth generation.

19 Selach (forgive!), I beseech thee, the avon of this people according unto the greatness of Thy chesed, just as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Mitzrayim even until now.

20 And Hashem said, I have pardoned according to thy word [of petition]:

21 But as surely as I live, Kol HaAretz (all the Earth) shall be filled with the Kavod Hashem.

22 Because all those men which have seen My kavod, and My otot (miraculous signs), which I performed in Mitzrayim and in the midbar, and have tested Me now these ten times, and have not paid heed to My voice;

23 Surely they shall not see HaAretz which I swore unto their avot, neither shall any of them that treated Me with contempt see it:

24 But Avdi Kalev, because he hath a ruach acheret in him, and hath followed after Me fully, him will I bring into HaAretz whereinto he went; and his zera shall inherit it.

25 (Now the Amaleki and the Kena’ani dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and get you into the midbar by the way of the Yam Suph.

26 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe and unto Aharon, saying,

27 How long shall I bear with this Edah Hara’ah, which murmur against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the Bnei Yisroel, which they murmur against Me.

28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith Hashem, as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you:

29 Your corpses shall fall in this midbar; and all that were numbered of you, according to your entire mispar (number, census), from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against Me.

30 Not one of you shall come into HaAretz, concerning which I swore to make you dwell therein, except for Kalev ben Yephunneh, and Yehoshua ben Nun.

31 But your little ones, which ye said would be plunder, them will I bring in, and they shall know HaAretz which ye have rejected.

32 But as for you, your corpses, they shall fall in this midbar.

33 And your banim shall wander [wandering ro’im] in the midbar arba’im shanah, and bear [the penalty of] your whoredoms [zenut, spiritual disloyalty and rebellion], until the last of your corpses lies in the midbar.

34 After the number of the days in which ye explored HaAretz, even arba’im, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even arba’im shanah, and ye shall know My Tenu’a (Opposition).

35 I, Hashem, have spoken, I will surely do it unto this Kol HaEdah, that are gathered together against Me: in this midbar they shall come to an end, and there they shall die.

36 And the anashim, which Moshe sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made Kol HaEdah to murmur against him, the ones spreading a dibbah (bad report, slander) about HaAretz,

37 Even those anashim that did bring up the evil report of HaAretz, died by the maggefah before Hashem.

38 But Yehoshua ben Nun, and Kalev ben Yephunneh survived of the anashim that went to explore HaAretz.

39 And Moshe told these sayings unto Kol Bnei Yisroel: and HaAm mourned greatly.

40 And they rose up early in the boker, and went up into the height of the hill country, saying, Behold, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Hashem hath promised: for we have sinned.

41 And Moshe said, Why now do ye transgress the utterance of Hashem? This will not succeed.

42 Go not up, for Hashem is not among you; that ye be not struck down before your enemies.

43 For the Amaleki and the Kena’ani are there before you, and ye shall fall by the cherev: because ye are turned away from Hashem, therefore Hashem will not be with you.

44 But they presumed to go up unto the ridge of the mountain: nevertheless the Aron Brit Hashem, and Moshe, departed not out of the machaneh.

45 Then the Amaleki came down, and the Kena’ani which dwelt in that hill country, and struck them down, and put them to rout, even unto Chormah.