²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller^(A) than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites^(B) there.’”

Not Because of Israel’s Righteousness

9 Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan^(A) to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you,^(B) with large cities^(C) that have walls up to the sky.^{(D) 2} The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”^(E)

²⁸ But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.^(A) We even saw descendants of Anak^(B) there.^{(C) 29} The Amalekites^(D) live in the Negev; the Hittites,^(E) Jebusites^(F) and Amorites^(G) live in the hill country;^(H) and the Canaanites^(I) live near the sea and along the Jordan.^(J)”

³⁰ Then Caleb^(K) silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”^{(L) 32} And they spread among the Israelites a bad report^(M) about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours^(N) those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.^{(O) 33} We saw the Nephilim^(P) there (the descendants of Anak^(Q) come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers^(R) in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

¹⁶ And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels^[a] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai^(A) son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp^(B) of Israel will not be extinguished.^(C)”

¹⁸ In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai^(D) the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

¹⁹ In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair^[b] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of^[c] Goliath the Gittite,^(E) who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.^(F)

²⁰ In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. ²¹ When he taunted^(G) Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,^(H) David’s brother, killed him.

²² These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

²⁰ As Moses had promised, Hebron^(A) was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.^(B)

¹⁴ From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites^(A)—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai,^(B) the sons of Anak.^(C)

⁸ but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.^(A) I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.^(B)

²² No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza,^(A) Gath^(B) and Ashdod^(C) did any survive.

⁷ And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?^(A)’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear^(B) and every hand go limp;^(C) every spirit will become faint^(D) and every leg will be wet with urine.’^(E) It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”