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Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land

19 “Then, just as the Lord our God had ordered us, we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, until we reached Kadesh-barnea.(A) 20 I said to you, ‘You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given the land to you; go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you; do not fear or be dismayed.’(B)

22 “All of you came to me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us to explore the land for us and bring back a report to us regarding the route by which we should go up and the cities we will come to.’ 23 The plan seemed good to me, and I selected twelve of you, one from each tribe.(C) 24 They set out and went up into the hill country, and when they reached the Wadi Eshcol they spied it out(D) 25 and gathered some of the land’s produce, which they brought down to us. They brought back a report to us and said, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’(E)

26 “But you were unwilling to go up. You rebelled against the command of the Lord your God;(F) 27 you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘It is because the Lord hates us that he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to hand us over to the Amorites to destroy us.(G) 28 Where are we headed? Our kindred have made our hearts melt by reporting, “The people are stronger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified up to heaven! We actually saw there the offspring of the Anakim!” ’(H) 29 I said to you, ‘Have no dread or fear of them. 30 The Lord your God, who goes before you, is the one who will fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your very eyes(I) 31 and in the wilderness, where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled until you reached this place.(J) 32 But in spite of this, you have no trust in the Lord your God,(K) 33 who goes before you on the way to seek out a place for you to camp, in fire by night, and in the cloud by day, to show you the route you should take.’(L)

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Spies Sent Out

19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites(A) through all that vast and dreadful wilderness(B) that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.(C) 20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession(D) of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid;(E) do not be discouraged.”(F)

22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy(G) out the land(H) 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(I) 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(J) and explored it. 25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported,(K) “It is a good land(L) that the Lord our God is giving us.”(M)

Rebellion Against the Lord

26 But you were unwilling to go up;(N) you rebelled(O) against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled(P) 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(Q) than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites(R) there.’”

29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid(S) of them.(T) 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight(U) for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried(V) you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”(W)

32 In spite of this,(X) you did not trust(Y) in the Lord your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day,(Z) to search(AA) out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

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