¹⁴ And the time we took to come ^(A)from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, ^(B)until all the generation of the men of war ^[a]was consumed from the midst of the camp, ^(C)just as the Lord had sworn to them.

^64 (A)But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the ^(B)Wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They ^(C)shall surely die in the wilderness.” So there was not left a man of them, ^(D)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

²⁸ Say to them, ^(A)‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: ²⁹ The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, ^(B)all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. ^30 (C)Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I ^[a]swore I would make you dwell in. ^31 (D)But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall ^[b]know the land which ^(E)you have despised. ³² But as for you, ^(F)your^[c] carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. ³³ And your sons shall ^(G)be ^[d]shepherds in the wilderness ^(H)forty years, and ^(I)bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. ^34 (J)According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, ^(K)forty days, for each day you shall bear your ^[e]guilt one year, namely forty years, ^(L)and you shall know My ^[f]rejection. ^35 (M)I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all ^(N)this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”

¹⁵ So ^(A)I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ^(B)‘flowing with milk and honey,’ ^(C)the glory of all lands,

The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion^(A)

³⁴ “And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, ^(B)and took an oath, saying, ^35 (C)‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I ^[a]swore to give to your fathers,

¹² Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³ but ^[a]exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, ¹⁵ while it is said:

Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers

^16 (B)For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? ¹⁷ Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, ^(C)whose corpses fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And ^(D)to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? ¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of ^(E)unbelief.

Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land^(A)

¹⁹ “So we departed from Horeb, ^(B)and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then ^(C)we came to Kadesh Barnea.