Numeri 13
Het Boek
De twaalf spionnen
13 Terwijl de Israëlieten in de Paran-woestijn verbleven, zei de Here tegen Mozes: 2 ‘Zend spionnen naar het land Kanaän, het land dat Ik aan Israël ga geven, stuur van elke stam één leider.’
3-15 Mozes voerde de opdracht van de Here uit en stuurde deze twaalf stammenleiders: Sammua, de zoon van Zakkur, uit de stam Ruben; Safat, de zoon van Chori, uit de stam Simeon; Kaleb, de zoon van Jefunne, uit de stam Juda; Jigal, de zoon van Jozef, uit de stam Issachar; Hosea, de zoon van Nun, uit de stam Efraïm; Palti, de zoon van Rafu, uit de stam Benjamin; Gaddiël, de zoon van Sodi, uit de stam Zebulon; Gaddi, de zoon van Susi, uit de stam Manasse; Ammiël, de zoon van Gemalli, uit de stam Dan; Setur, de zoon van Michaël, uit de stam Aser; Nachbi, de zoon van Wofsi, uit de stam Naftali; Geüel, de zoon van Machi, uit de stam Gad. 16 En Mozes veranderde de naam van Hosea, de zoon van Nun, in Jozua.
17 Mozes stuurde de spionnen weg met de opdracht: ‘Ga in noordelijke richting en trek het bergland van de Negev in. 18 Kijk hoe het land eruit ziet en wat voor mensen daar leven, of het er veel of weinig zijn en of ze sterk of zwak zijn. 19 Let ook goed op of het land vruchtbaar is of niet, of er steden zijn en of die versterkt zijn of niet. 20 Stel vast of het land rijk of arm is en of er veel bomen zijn. Wees niet bang en breng wat exemplaren van hun oogst mee terug.’ In die tijd werden de eerste druiven geoogst. 21 Zo vertrokken de spionnen en verkenden het land van de woestijn Sin tot aan Rechob, waar de weg naar Hamat begint. 22 Terwijl zij in noordelijke richting trokken, doorkruisten zij eerst de Negev en kwamen in Hebron aan. Daar woonden Achiman, Sesai en Talmai, de kinderen van Enak. Hebron was een erg oude stad, want hij werd zeven jaar eerder gesticht dan de stad Zoan in Egypte. 23 Daarna kwamen zij in het dal Eskol, waar zij een tros druiven van een wijnrank sneden. Deze tros was zo groot dat twee mannen hem aan een stok tussen zich in moesten dragen! Ook namen zij een aantal granaatappels en vijgen mee. 24 De Israëlieten noemden dat dal vanaf die tijd Eskol (Tros), vanwege de tros druiven die zij vandaar hadden meegenomen. 25 Na veertig dagen keerden de spionnen van hun tocht terug.
26 Zij rapporteerden hun bevindingen aan Mozes, Aäron en het hele volk Israël in de Paran-woestijn bij Kades en lieten het fruit zien dat zij hadden meegenomen. 27 Dit was hun verslag: ‘Wij kwamen in het land dat wij moesten verkennen. Het is inderdaad een land waar melk en honing vloeit, het is prachtig. Kijk maar eens naar dit fruit dat wij als bewijs hebben meegenomen. 28 Maar de mensen die daar wonen, zijn sterk en hun steden zijn goed versterkt en groot. We hebben zelfs reuzen, kinderen van Enak, gezien! 29 De Amalekieten wonen in het zuiden en de Hethieten, Jebusieten en Amorieten wonen in het bergland. Langs de kust van de Middellandse Zee en in het rivierdal van de Jordaan wonen de Kanaänieten.’ 30 Toen kwam het volk in opstand tegen Mozes. Maar Kaleb trachtte het te kalmeren en zei: ‘Laten wij nu meteen optrekken en het land in bezit nemen, want wij zijn sterk genoeg om het te veroveren!’ 31 ‘Niet tegen mensen die zo sterk zijn als zij,’ vonden de andere spionnen, ‘ze zouden ons vernietigen.’ 32 Het verslag van de meerderheid van de spionnen was negatief: ‘Het land wemelt van de strijders en de mensen zijn allemaal krachtig gebouwd. 33 We hebben kinderen van Enak gezien, afstammelingen van de vroegere reuzen. We voelden ons als sprinkhanen bij hen vergeleken!’
Numbers 13
Good News Translation
The Spies(A)
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Choose one of the leaders from each of the twelve tribes and send them as spies to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.” 3-15 Moses obeyed and from the wilderness of Paran he sent out leaders, as follows:
| Tribe | Leader |
|---|---|
| Reuben | Shammua son of Zaccur |
| Simeon | Shaphat son of Hori |
| Judah | Caleb son of Jephunneh |
| Issachar | Igal son of Joseph |
| Ephraim | Hoshea son of Nun |
| Benjamin | Palti son of Raphu |
| Zebulun | Gaddiel son of Sodi |
| Manasseh | Gaddi son of Susi |
| Dan | Ammiel son of Gemalli |
| Asher | Sethur son of Michael |
| Naphtali | Nahbi son of Vophsi |
| Gad | Geuel son of Machi |
16 These are the spies Moses sent to explore the land. He changed the name of Hoshea son of Nun to Joshua.
17 When Moses sent them out, he said to them, “Go north from here into the southern part of the land of Canaan and then on into the hill country. 18 Find out what kind of country it is, how many people live there, and how strong they are. 19 Find out whether the land is good or bad and whether the people live in open towns or in fortified cities. 20 Find out whether the soil is fertile and whether the land is wooded. And be sure to bring back some of the fruit that grows there.” (It was the season when grapes were beginning to ripen.)
21 So the men went north and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin in the south all the way to Rehob, near Hamath Pass in the north. 22 They went first into the southern part of the land and came to Hebron, where the clans of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of a race of giants called the Anakim, lived. (Hebron was founded seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 They came to Eshcol Valley, and there they cut off a branch which had one bunch of grapes on it so heavy that it took two men to carry it on a pole between them. They also brought back some pomegranates and figs. (24 That place was named Eshcol[a] Valley because of the bunch of grapes the Israelites cut off there.)
25 After exploring the land for forty days, the spies returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had brought. 27 They told Moses, “We explored the land and found it to be rich and fertile; and here is some of its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and their cities are very large and well fortified. Even worse, we saw the descendants of the giants there. 29 Amalekites live in the southern part of the land; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and Canaanites live by the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan River.”
30 Caleb silenced the people who were complaining against[b] Moses, and said, “We should attack now and take the land; we are strong enough to conquer it.”
31 But the men who had gone with Caleb said, “No, we are not strong enough to attack them; the people there are more powerful than we are.” 32 So they spread a false report among the Israelites about the land they had explored. They said, “That land doesn't even produce enough to feed the people who live there. Everyone we saw was very tall, 33 (B)and we even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt as small as grasshoppers, and that is how we must have looked to them.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 13:24 This name in Hebrew means “bunch of grapes.”
- Numbers 13:30 complaining against; or gathered around.
Numbers 13
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
13 And the Lord said to Moses,
2 Send men to explore and scout out [for yourselves] the land of Canaan, which I give to the Israelites. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader or head among them.
3 So Moses by the command of the Lord sent scouts from the Wilderness of Paran, all of them men who were heads of the Israelites.
4 These were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea [that is, Joshua] son of Nun;
9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 Of the tribe of Joseph, that is, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi son of Susi;
12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.
16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to explore and scout out the land. And Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua.
17 Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, and said to them, Get up this way by the South (the Negeb) and go up into the hill country,
18 And see what the land is and whether the people who dwell there are strong or weak, few or many,
19 And whether the land they live in is good or bad, and whether the cities they dwell in are camps or strongholds,
20 And what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is timber on it or not. And be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and scouted through the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath.
22 And then went up into the South (the Negeb) and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai [probably three tribes of] the sons of Anak were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two [of them]; they brought also some pomegranates and figs.
24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol [cluster] because of the cluster which the Israelites cut down there.
25 And they returned from scouting out the land after forty days.
26 They came to Moses and Aaron and to all the Israelite congregation in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, and brought them word, and showed them the land’s fruit.
27 They told Moses, We came to the land to which you sent us; surely it flows with milk and honey. This is its fruit.
28 But the people who dwell there are strong, and the cities are [a]fortified and very large; moreover, there we saw the sons of Anak [of great stature and courage].
29 Amalek dwells in the land of the South (the Negeb); the Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along by the side of the Jordan [River].
30 Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.
31 But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are stronger than we are.
32 So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.
33 There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Footnotes
- Numbers 13:28 The scouts probably had not seen walled cities before, having lived their childhood in Goshen in Egypt. Those who forgot God’s power to help them naturally found the situation formidable, as happens in the lives of most people. “ ‘But God’ makes all the difference between cowards and Calebs.”
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