The People Rebel

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.^{(A) 2} All the Israelites grumbled^(B) against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!^(C) Or in this wilderness!^{(D) 3} Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?^(E) Our wives and children^(F) will be taken as plunder.^(G) Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?^(H)” ⁴ And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.^(I)”

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown^(J) in front of the whole Israelite assembly^(K) gathered there. ⁶ Joshua son of Nun^(L) and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes^{(M) 7} and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.^{(N) 8} If the Lord is pleased with us,^(O) he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey,^(P) and will give it to us.^{(Q) 9} Only do not rebel^(R) against the Lord. And do not be afraid^(S) of the people of the land,^(T) because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with^(U) us.^(V) Do not be afraid of them.”^(W)

¹⁰ But the whole assembly talked about stoning^(X) them. Then the glory of the Lord^(Y) appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?^(Z) How long will they refuse to believe in me,^(AA) in spite of all the signs^(AB) I have performed among them? ¹² I will strike them down with a plague^(AC) and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation^(AD) greater and stronger than they.”^(AE)

¹³ Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.^{(AF) 14} And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard^(AG) that you, Lord, are with these people^(AH) and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face,^(AI) that your cloud stays over them,^(AJ) and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.^{(AK) 15} If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, ¹⁶ ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath,^(AL) so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’^(AM)

¹⁷ “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: ¹⁸ ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.^(AN) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’^{(AO) 19} In accordance with your great love, forgive^(AP) the sin of these people,^(AQ) just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”^(AR)

²⁰ The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them,^(AS) as you asked. ²¹ Nevertheless, as surely as I live^(AT) and as surely as the glory of the Lord^(AU) fills the whole earth,^{(AV) 22} not one of those who saw my glory and the signs^(AW) I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times^(AX)— ²³ not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath^(AY) to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt^(AZ) will ever see it.^{(BA) 24} But because my servant Caleb^(BB) has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly,^(BC) I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.^{(BD) 25} Since the Amalekites^(BE) and the Canaanites^(BF) are living in the valleys, turn^(BG) back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.^[a](BH)”

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ²⁷ “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.^{(BI) 28} So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,^(BJ) declares the Lord, I will do to you^(BK) the very thing I heard you say: ²⁹ In this wilderness your bodies will fall^(BL)—every one of you twenty years old or more^(BM) who was counted in the census^(BN) and who has grumbled against me. ³⁰ Not one of you will enter the land^(BO) I swore with uplifted hand^(BP) to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh^(BQ) and Joshua son of Nun.^{(BR) 31} As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.^{(BS) 32} But as for you, your bodies will fall^(BT) in this wilderness. ³³ Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,^(BU) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. ³⁴ For forty years^(BV)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land^(BW)—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ ³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things^(BX) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.^(BY)”

³⁶ So the men Moses had sent^(BZ) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble^(CA) against him by spreading a bad report^(CB) about it— ³⁷ these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report^(CC) about the land were struck down and died of a plague^(CD) before the Lord. ³⁸ Of the men who went to explore the land,^(CE) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.^(CF)

³⁹ When Moses reported this^(CG) to all the Israelites, they mourned^(CH) bitterly. ⁴⁰ Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country,^(CI) saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!^(CJ)”

⁴¹ But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!^{(CK) 42} Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,^{(CL) 43} for the Amalekites^(CM) and the Canaanites^(CN) will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you^(CO) and you will fall by the sword.”

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up^(CP) toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.^{(CQ) 45} Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites^(CR) who lived in that hill country^(CS) came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.^(CT)