The People Rebel

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.(A) 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) 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) And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.(I)

Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown(J) in front of the whole Israelite assembly(K) gathered there. Joshua son of Nun(L) and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes(M) and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.(N) 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) 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)

Supplementary Offerings

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘After you enter the land I am giving you(CU) as a home and you present to the Lord food offerings from the herd or the flock,(CV) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord(CW)—whether burnt offerings(CX) or sacrifices, for special vows or freewill offerings(CY) or festival offerings(CZ) then the person who brings an offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering(DA) of a tenth of an ephah[b] of the finest flour(DB) mixed with a quarter of a hin[c] of olive oil. With each lamb(DC) for the burnt offering or the sacrifice, prepare a quarter of a hin of wine(DD) as a drink offering.(DE)

“‘With a ram(DF) prepare a grain offering(DG) of two-tenths of an ephah[d](DH) of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hin[e] of olive oil,(DI) and a third of a hin of wine(DJ) as a drink offering.(DK) Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(DL)

“‘When you prepare a young bull(DM) as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow(DN) or a fellowship offering(DO) to the Lord, bring with the bull a grain offering(DP) of three-tenths of an ephah[f](DQ) of the finest flour mixed with half a hin[g] of olive oil, 10 and also bring half a hin of wine(DR) as a drink offering.(DS) This will be a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(DT) 11 Each bull or ram, each lamb or young goat, is to be prepared in this manner. 12 Do this for each one, for as many as you prepare.(DU)

13 “‘Everyone who is native-born(DV) must do these things in this way when they present a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(DW) 14 For the generations to come,(DX) whenever a foreigner(DY) or anyone else living among you presents a food(DZ) offering(EA) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, they must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.(EB) You and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing among you.(EC)’”

17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land to which I am taking you(ED) 19 and you eat the food of the land,(EE) present a portion as an offering to the Lord.(EF) 20 Present a loaf from the first of your ground meal(EG) and present it as an offering from the threshing floor.(EH) 21 Throughout the generations to come(EI) you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal.(EJ)

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

22 “‘Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses(EK) 23 any of the Lord’s commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come(EL) 24 and if this is done unintentionally(EM) without the community being aware of it,(EN) then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering(EO) as an aroma pleasing to the Lord,(EP) along with its prescribed grain offering(EQ) and drink offering,(ER) and a male goat for a sin offering.[h](ES) 25 The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven,(ET) for it was not intentional(EU) and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering(EV) and a sin offering.(EW) 26 The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.(EX)

27 “‘But if just one person sins unintentionally,(EY) that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering.(EZ) 28 The priest is to make atonement(FA) before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven.(FB) 29 One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.(FC)

30 “‘But anyone who sins defiantly,(FD) whether native-born or foreigner,(FE) blasphemes the Lord(FF) and must be cut off from the people of Israel.(FG) 31 Because they have despised(FH) the Lord’s word and broken his commands,(FI) they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.(FJ)’”

The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death

32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness,(FK) a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.(FL) 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.(FM) 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die.(FN) The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.(FO) 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him(FP) to death,(FQ) as the Lord commanded Moses.(FR)

Tassels on Garments

37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come(FS) you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments,(FT) with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember(FU) all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves(FV) by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts(FW) and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands(FX) and will be consecrated to your God.(FY) 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.(FZ) I am the Lord your God.(GA)’”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 14:25 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Numbers 15:4 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  3. Numbers 15:4 That is, about 1 quart or about 1 liter; also in verse 5
  4. Numbers 15:6 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms
  5. Numbers 15:6 That is, about 1 1/3 quarts or about 1.3 liters; also in verse 7
  6. Numbers 15:9 That is, probably about 11 pounds or about 5 kilograms
  7. Numbers 15:9 That is, about 2 quarts or about 1.9 liters; also in verse 10
  8. Numbers 15:24 Or purification offering; also in verses 25 and 27

Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan

14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people (A)wept that night. (B)And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to [a]fall by the sword, that our wives and (C)children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, (D)“Let us select a leader and (E)return to Egypt.”

Then Moses and Aaron [b]fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: (F)“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord (G)delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, (H)‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only (I)do not rebel against the Lord, (J)nor fear the people of the land, for (K)they[c] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, (L)and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

10 (M)And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now (N)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

Moses Intercedes for the People

11 Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people (O)reject[d] Me? And how long will they not (P)believe Me, with all the [e]signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will (Q)make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13 And (R)Moses said to the Lord: (S)“Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have (T)heard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the Lord was not (U)able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 (V)‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, (W)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. 19 (X)Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, (Y)according to the greatness of Your mercy, just (Z)as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

20 Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, (AA)according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, (AB)all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord 22 (AC)because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now (AD)these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not (AE)see the land of which I [f]swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant (AF)Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and (AG)has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. 25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and (AH)move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.”

Death Sentence on the Rebels

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 (AI)“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? (AJ)I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, (AK)‘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, (AL)all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 (AM)Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I [g]swore I would make you dwell in. 31 (AN)But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall [h]know the land which (AO)you have despised. 32 But as for you, (AP)your[i] carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall (AQ)be [j]shepherds in the wilderness (AR)forty years, and (AS)bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 (AT)According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, (AU)forty days, for each day you shall bear your [k]guilt one year, namely forty years, (AV)and you shall know My [l]rejection. 35 (AW)I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all (AX)this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”

36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, (AY)died by the plague before the Lord. 38 (AZ)But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.

A Futile Invasion Attempt(BA)

39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, (BB)and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, (BC)“Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!”

41 And Moses said, “Now why do you [m]transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. 42 (BD)Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; (BE)because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

44 (BF)But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as (BG)Hormah.

Laws of Grain and Drink Offerings

15 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (BH)“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving to you, and you (BI)make an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice, (BJ)to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or (BK)in your appointed feasts, to make a (BL)sweet[n] aroma to the Lord, from the herd or the flock, then (BM)he who presents his offering to the Lord shall bring (BN)a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed (BO)with one-fourth of a hin of oil; (BP)and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering you shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each (BQ)lamb. (BR)Or for a ram you shall prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-third of a hin of oil; and as a drink offering you shall offer one-third of a hin of wine as a sweet aroma to the Lord. And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a (BS)peace offering to the Lord, then shall be offered (BT)with the young bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil; 10 and you shall bring as the drink offering half a hin of wine as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

11 (BU)‘Thus it shall be done for each young bull, for each ram, or for each lamb or young goat. 12 According to the number that you prepare, so you shall do with everyone according to their number. 13 All who are native-born shall do these things in this manner, in presenting an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. 14 And if a stranger [o]dwells with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so shall he do. 15 (BV)One [p]ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. 16 One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.’ ”

17 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 (BW)“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land to which I bring you, 19 then it will be, when you eat of (BX)the bread of the land, that you shall offer up a heave offering to the Lord. 20 (BY)You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as (BZ)a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you offer it up. 21 Of the first of your ground meal you shall give to the Lord a heave offering throughout your generations.

Laws Concerning Unintentional Sin

22 (CA)‘If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses— 23 all that the Lord has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the Lord gave commandment and onward throughout your generations— 24 then it will be, (CB)if it is unintentionally committed, [q]without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord, (CC)with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and (CD)one kid of the goats as a sin offering. 25 (CE)So the priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unintentional; they shall bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their unintended sin. 26 It shall be forgiven the whole congregation of the children of Israel and the stranger who dwells among them, because all the people did it unintentionally.

27 ‘And (CF)if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. 28 (CG)So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the Lord, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 (CH)You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them.

Law Concerning Presumptuous Sin

30 (CI)‘But the person who does anything [r]presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one [s]brings reproach on the Lord, and he shall be [t]cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has (CJ)despised the word of the Lord, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his [u]guilt shall be upon him.’ ”

Penalty for Violating the Sabbath(CK)

32 Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, (CL)they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34 They put him (CM)under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him.

35 Then the Lord said to Moses, (CN)“The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall (CO)stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.

Tassels on Garments

37 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 38 “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell (CP)them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39 And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and (CQ)remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you (CR)may not (CS)follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40 and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be (CT)holy for your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 14:3 be killed in battle
  2. Numbers 14:5 prostrated themselves
  3. Numbers 14:9 They shall be as food for our consumption.
  4. Numbers 14:11 despise
  5. Numbers 14:11 miraculous signs
  6. Numbers 14:23 solemnly promised
  7. Numbers 14:30 solemnly promised
  8. Numbers 14:31 be acquainted with
  9. Numbers 14:32 You shall die.
  10. Numbers 14:33 Vg. wanderers
  11. Numbers 14:34 iniquity
  12. Numbers 14:34 opposition
  13. Numbers 14:41 overstep
  14. Numbers 15:3 pleasing
  15. Numbers 15:14 As a resident alien
  16. Numbers 15:15 statute
  17. Numbers 15:24 Lit. away from the eyes
  18. Numbers 15:30 defiantly, lit. with a high hand
  19. Numbers 15:30 blasphemes
  20. Numbers 15:30 Put to death
  21. Numbers 15:31 iniquity

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people (A)wept that night. And all the people of Israel (B)grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or (C)would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? (D)Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, (E)“Let us choose a leader and (F)go back to Egypt.”

Then (G)Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. (H)And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, (I)“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If (J)the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, (K)a land that flows with milk and honey. Only (L)do not rebel against the Lord. And (M)do not fear the people of the land, for (N)they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 (O)Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But (P)the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people (Q)despise me? And how long will they not (R)believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I (S)will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

Moses Intercedes for the People

13 But (T)Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, 14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. (U)They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and (V)your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, 16 ‘It is because the Lord (W)was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, 18 (X)‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, (Y)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ 19 Please (Z)pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just (AA)as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

God Promises Judgment

20 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, (AB)according to your word. 21 But truly, as I live, and as all (AC)the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22 (AD)none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these (AE)ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 (AF)shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. 24 But my servant (AG)Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has (AH)followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. 25 (AI)Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, (AJ)turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall (AK)this wicked congregation grumble against me? (AL)I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, (AM)‘As I live, declares the Lord, (AN)what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 (AO)your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and (AP)of all your number, listed in the census (AQ)from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I (AR)swore that I would make you dwell, (AS)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 (AT)But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that (AU)you have rejected. 32 But as for you, (AV)your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children (AW)shall be shepherds in the wilderness (AX)forty years and shall (AY)suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 (AZ)According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, (BA)forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ 35 (BB)I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all (BC)this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

36 (BD)And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— 37 the men who brought up a bad report of the land—(BE)died by plague before the Lord. 38 Of those men who went to spy out the land, (BF)only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

Israel Defeated in Battle

39 When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people (BG)mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, (BH)“Here we are. We will go up to the place that the Lord has promised, for we have sinned.” 41 (BI)But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the Lord, when that will not succeed? 42 (BJ)Do not go up, (BK)for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. 43 For there (BL)the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.” 44 (BM)But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither (BN)the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp. 45 Then (BO)the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to (BP)Hormah.

Laws About Sacrifices

15 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, (BQ)When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you, and (BR)you offer to the Lord from the herd or from the flock a food offering[a] or a burnt offering or a sacrifice, (BS)to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or (BT)at your appointed feasts, to make a (BU)pleasing aroma to the Lord, then (BV)he who brings his offering shall offer to the Lord (BW)a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah[b] of fine flour, (BX)mixed with a quarter of a hin[c] of oil; and you shall offer with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, a quarter of a hin of (BY)wine for the drink offering for each lamb. (BZ)Or for a ram, you shall offer for a grain offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil. And for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, a (CA)pleasing aroma to the Lord. And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, to (CB)fulfill a vow or for (CC)peace offerings to the Lord, then one shall offer (CD)with the bull a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with half a hin of oil. 10 And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

11 (CE)“Thus it shall be done for each bull or ram, or for each lamb or young goat. 12 As many as you offer, so shall you do with each one, as many as there are. 13 Every native Israelite shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 14 And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he shall do as you do. 15 For the assembly, (CF)there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. 16 One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”

17 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 (CG)“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you 19 and when you eat of (CH)the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the Lord. 20 (CI)Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a (CJ)contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it. 21 (CK)Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the Lord as a contribution throughout your generations.

Laws About Unintentional Sins

22 (CL)“But if you sin unintentionally,[d] and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23 all that the Lord has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done unintentionally (CM)without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, (CN)with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and (CO)one male goat for a sin offering. 25 (CP)And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their mistake. 26 And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.

27 (CQ)“If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 (CR)And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 (CS)You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. 30 (CT)But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has (CU)despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”

A Sabbathbreaker Executed

32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man (CV)gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34 (CW)They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said to Moses, (CX)“The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall (CY)stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Tassels on Garments

37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to (CZ)make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, (DA)not to follow[e] after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined (DB)to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be (DC)holy to your God. 41 (DD)I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 15:3 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Numbers
  2. Numbers 15:4 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
  3. Numbers 15:4 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
  4. Numbers 15:22 Or by mistake; also verses 24, 27, 28, 29
  5. Numbers 15:39 Hebrew to spy out

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation [a]raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept [b]that night. And all the sons of Israel (A)grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “(B)If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! So why is the Lord bringing us into this land (C)to fall by the sword? (D)Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “(E)Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

(F)Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “(G)The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. (H)If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—(I)a land which flows with milk and honey. Only (J)do not rebel against the Lord; and do not (K)fear the people of the land, for they will be our [c]prey. Their [d]protection is gone from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 (L)But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then (M)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

11 (N)And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will (O)they not [e]believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? 12 I will strike them with [f](P)plague and dispossess them, and I (Q)will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13 (R)But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people up from their midst, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are in the midst of this people, because (S)You, Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You put this people to death [g]all at once, (T)then the nations who have heard of Your fame will [h]say, 16 ‘Since the Lord (U)could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17 So now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, saying, 18 (V)The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving wrongdoing and violation of His Law; but (W)He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, (X)inflicting the [i]punishment of the fathers on the children [j]to the third and the fourth generations.’ 19 Please (Y)forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

The Lord Pardons and Rebukes

20 So the Lord said, “(Z)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; 21 however, (AA)as I live, [k](AB)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Certainly (AC)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet (AD)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, 23 (AE)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, (AF)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, (AG)I will bring him into the land which he [l]entered, and his [m]descendants shall take possession of it. 25 (AH)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [n]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 (AI)grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are [o]voicing against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘(AJ)As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as (AK)you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; 29 (AL)your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all (AM)your [p]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 [q]swore to settle you, (AN)except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 (AO)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 (AP)But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for (AQ)forty years, and they will [r]suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. 34 In accordance with the (AR)number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your [s]guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. 35 (AS)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.’”

36 (AT)As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who returned and led all the congregation to grumble against him by bringing a bad report about the land, 37 (AU)those men who brought the bad report of the land also died by a (AV)plague in the presence of the Lord. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

Israel Repulsed

39 Now when Moses spoke (AW)these words to all the sons of Israel, (AX)the people mourned greatly. 40 In the morning, however, they got up early and went up to the [t]ridge of the hill country, saying, “(AY)Here we are; and we will go up to the place which the Lord has [u]promised, for [v]we have sinned.” 41 But Moses said, “(AZ)Why then are you (BA)violating the [w]command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed? 42 (BB)Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, [x]to prevent you from being defeated [y]by your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there [z]to confront you, and you will fall by the sword, since you have turned back from following the Lord. And the Lord will not be with you.” 44 But they foolishly dared to go up to the [aa]ridge of the hill country; neither (BC)the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and scattered them as far as (BD)Hormah.

Laws for Canaan

15 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (BE)Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land [ab]where you are going to live, which I am giving you, and you make (BF)an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to [ac](BG)fulfill a special vow, or as a [ad]voluntary offering or at your (BH)appointed times, to make a (BI)soothing aroma to the Lord from the herd or from the flock, then (BJ)the one who presents his offering shall present to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an [ae]ephah of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a [af]hin of oil, and you shall prepare wine for the drink offering, a fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for (BK)each lamb. Or for a ram you shall prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil; and for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine as a soothing aroma to the Lord. And when you prepare (BL)a bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to [ag]fulfill a special vow, or for peace offerings to the Lord, then you shall offer with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil; 10 and you shall offer as the drink offering half a hin of wine as an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord.

11 ‘This is how it shall be done for each ox, or for each ram, or for each of the male lambs, or of the goats. 12 According to the number that you prepare, so you shall do for each one according to their number. 13 Everyone who is a native shall do these things in this way, in presenting an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Law for the Stranger

14 Now if a stranger resides among you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wants to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord, just as you do so shall he do. 15 As for the assembly, there shall be (BM)one statute for you and for the stranger who resides among you, a permanent statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. 16 There is to be (BN)one law and one ordinance for you and for the stranger who resides with you.’”

17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land where I am bringing you, 19 then it shall be, that when you eat from the [ah](BO)food of the land, you shall lift up an [ai]offering to the Lord. 20 (BP)Of the first of your [aj]dough you shall lift up a loaf as an [ak]offering; as (BQ)an [al]offering of the threshing floor, so you shall lift it up. 21 From the first of your [am]dough you shall give to the Lord an [an]offering throughout your generations.

22 ‘But when you (BR)unintentionally do wrong and fail to [ao]comply with all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23 that is, all that the Lord has commanded you [ap]through Moses from the day that the Lord gave commandments and onward, throughout your generations, 24 then it shall be, if it is done (BS)unintentionally, [aq]without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one bull as a burnt offering, as a soothing aroma to the Lord, (BT)with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the ordinance, and one male goat as a sin offering. 25 Then (BU)the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they will be forgiven; for it was an unintentional wrong, and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their unintentional wrong. 26 So all the congregation of the sons of Israel will be forgiven, as well as the stranger who resides among them, for guilt was attributed to all the people through an (BV)unintentional wrong.

27 ‘Also, if one person sins (BW)unintentionally, then he shall offer a one-year-old female goat as a sin offering. 28 And (BX)the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who goes astray by an unintentional sin, making atonement for him [ar]so that he may be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for the native among the sons of Israel and for the stranger who resides among them, for one who does anything wrong unintentionally. 30 But the person who does wrong [as](BY)defiantly, whether he is a native or a stranger, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Since he has (BZ)despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; (CA)his [at]guilt will be on him.’”

Sabbath-breaking Punished

32 Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man (CB)gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation; 34 and they placed him in custody, (CC)because it had not been decided what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must be put to death; (CD)all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him [au]to death with stones, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

37 The Lord also spoke to Moses, saying, 38 “Speak to the sons of Israel and tell them that they shall make for themselves (CE)tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a [av]violet thread. 39 It shall be a tassel for you [aw]to look at and (CF)remember all the commandments of the Lord, so that you will do them and not [ax]follow your own heart and your own eyes, [ay]which led you to prostitute yourselves, 40 so that you will remember and do all My commandments and (CG)be holy to your God. 41 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 14:1 Lit raised and gave their voice
  2. Numbers 14:1 Lit in that
  3. Numbers 14:9 Lit food
  4. Numbers 14:9 Lit shadow
  5. Numbers 14:11 Or trust in
  6. Numbers 14:12 Lit the plague
  7. Numbers 14:15 Lit as one man
  8. Numbers 14:15 Lit say, saying
  9. Numbers 14:18 I.e., punishment for the wrongdoing
  10. Numbers 14:18 Lit on
  11. Numbers 14:21 Lit and all
  12. Numbers 14:24 Lit entered there
  13. Numbers 14:24 Lit seed
  14. Numbers 14:25 Lit Sea of Reeds
  15. Numbers 14:27 Lit complaining
  16. Numbers 14:29 Lit mustered
  17. Numbers 14:30 Lit raised My hand
  18. Numbers 14:33 Lit bear
  19. Numbers 14:34 Or wrongdoings
  20. Numbers 14:40 Or top of the mountain
  21. Numbers 14:40 Lit said
  22. Numbers 14:40 I.e., by lacking faith to go
  23. Numbers 14:41 Lit mouth
  24. Numbers 14:42 Lit so that you are not
  25. Numbers 14:42 Lit before
  26. Numbers 14:43 Lit before you
  27. Numbers 14:44 Or top of the mountain
  28. Numbers 15:2 Lit of your dwellings
  29. Numbers 15:3 Or make a special votive offering
  30. Numbers 15:3 Or freewill offering
  31. Numbers 15:4 An ephah was about 7.4 gallons or 28 liters
  32. Numbers 15:4 A hin also was about 1 gallon or 3.8 liters
  33. Numbers 15:8 Or make a special votive offering
  34. Numbers 15:19 Lit bread
  35. Numbers 15:19 Or uplifted offering
  36. Numbers 15:20 Or coarse meal
  37. Numbers 15:20 Or uplifted offering
  38. Numbers 15:20 Or uplifted offering
  39. Numbers 15:21 Or coarse meal
  40. Numbers 15:21 Or uplifted offering
  41. Numbers 15:22 Lit perform all
  42. Numbers 15:23 Lit by the hand of
  43. Numbers 15:24 Lit away from the eyes of the congregation
  44. Numbers 15:28 Or and he shall
  45. Numbers 15:30 Lit with upraised hand
  46. Numbers 15:31 Or wrongdoing
  47. Numbers 15:36 Lit with stones and he died
  48. Numbers 15:38 Or bluish; LXX hyacinth in color, and so throughout the ch
  49. Numbers 15:39 Lit and you shall look at it
  50. Numbers 15:39 Lit seek
  51. Numbers 15:39 Lit after which you played