Numbers 14:20-35
New American Standard Bible
The Lord Pardons and Rebukes
20 So the Lord said, “(A)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; 21 however, (B)as I live, [a](C)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Certainly (D)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet (E)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, 23 (F)shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it. 24 But as for My servant Caleb, (G)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, (H)I will bring him into the land which he [b]entered, and his [c]descendants shall take possession of it. 25 (I)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [d]Red Sea.”
26 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying, 27 “How long shall I put up with this evil congregation who are (J)grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are [e]voicing against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘(K)As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as (L)you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; 29 (M)your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all (N)your [f]numbered men according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30 By no means will you come into the land where I [g]swore to settle you, (O)except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 (P)Your children, however, whom you said would become plunder—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 32 (Q)But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for (R)forty years, and they will [h]suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. 34 In accordance with the (S)number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your [i]guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. 35 (T)I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 14:21 Lit and all
- Numbers 14:24 Lit entered there
- Numbers 14:24 Lit seed
- Numbers 14:25 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Numbers 14:27 Lit complaining
- Numbers 14:29 Lit mustered
- Numbers 14:30 Lit raised My hand
- Numbers 14:33 Lit bear
- Numbers 14:34 Or wrongdoings
Numbers 14:20-35
New Living Translation
20 Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. 21 But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, 22 not 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. 23 They 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. 24 But 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. 25 Now 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.[a]”
The Lord Punishes the Israelites
26 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 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. 28 Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. 29 You 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. 30 You 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.
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. 32 But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. 33 And 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.
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.’ 35 I, 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!”
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- 14:25 Hebrew sea of reeds.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. 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.
