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Numbers 11-14
Contemporary English Version
Numbers 11-14
Contemporary English Version
The Israelites Complain
11 One day the Israelites started complaining about their troubles. The Lord heard them and became so angry that he destroyed the outer edges of their camp with fire.
2 When the people begged Moses to help, he prayed, and the fire went out. 3 They named the place “Burning,”[a] because in his anger the Lord had set their camp on fire.
The People Grumble about Being Hungry
4 One day some foreigners among the Israelites became greedy for food, and even the Israelites themselves began moaning, “We don't have any meat! 5 In Egypt we could eat all the fish we wanted, and there were cucumbers, melons, all kinds of onions, and garlic. 6 But we're starving out here, and the only food we have is this manna.”
7 (A) The manna was like small whitish seeds 8-9 (B) and tasted like something baked with sweet olive oil. It appeared at night with the dew. In the morning the people would collect the manna, grind or crush it into flour, then boil it and make it into thin wafers.
10 The Israelites stood around their tents complaining. Moses heard them and was upset that they had made the Lord angry. 11 He prayed:
I am your servant, Lord, so why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this? You've made me responsible for all these people, 12 but they're not my children. You told me to nurse them along and to carry them to the land you promised their ancestors. 13 They keep whining for meat, but where can I get meat for them? 14 This job is too much for me. How can I take care of all these people by myself? 15 If this is the way you're going to treat me, just kill me now and end my miserable life!
Seventy Leaders Are Chosen To Help Moses
16 The Lord said to Moses:
Choose 70 of Israel's respected leaders and go with them to the sacred tent. 17 While I am talking with you there, I will give them some of your authority, so they can share responsibility for my people. You will no longer have to care for them by yourself.
18 As for the Israelites, I have heard them complaining about not having meat and about being better off in Egypt. So tell them to make themselves acceptable to me, because tomorrow they will have meat. 19-20 In fact, they will have meat day after day for a whole month—not just a few days, or even 10 or 20. They turned against me and wanted to go back to Egypt. Now they will eat meat until they get sick of it.
21 Moses replied, “At least 600,000 grown men are here with me. How can you say there will be enough meat to feed them and their families for a whole month? 22 Even if we butchered all our sheep and cattle, or caught every fish in the sea, we wouldn't have enough to feed them.”
23 The Lord answered, “I can do anything! Watch and you'll see my words come true.”
24 Moses told the people what the Lord had said. Then he chose 70 respected leaders and went with them to the sacred tent. While the leaders stood in a circle around the tent, Moses went inside, 25 and the Lord spoke with him. Then the Lord took some authority[b] from Moses and gave it to the 70 leaders. And when the Lord's Spirit took control of them, they started shouting like prophets. But they did it only this one time.
26 Eldad and Medad were two leaders who had not gone to the tent. But when the Spirit took control of them, they began shouting like prophets right there in camp. 27 A boy ran to Moses and told him about Eldad and Medad.
28 Joshua[c] was there helping Moses, as he had done since he was young. And he said to Moses, “Sir, you must stop them!”
29 But Moses replied, “Are you concerned what this might do to me? I wish the Lord would give his Spirit to all his people so everyone could be a prophet.” 30 Then Moses and the 70 leaders went back to camp.
The Lord Sends Quails
31 Some time later the Lord sent a strong wind that blew quails in from the sea until Israel's camp was completely surrounded with birds, piled up about a meter high for many kilometers in every direction. 32 The people picked up quails for two days—each person filled at least ten large baskets. Then they spread them out to dry. 33 But before the meat could be eaten, the Lord became angry and sent a deadly disease through the camp.
34 After they had buried the people who had been so greedy for meat, they called the place “Graves for the Greedy.”[d]
35 Israel then broke camp and traveled to Hazeroth.
Miriam and Aaron Are Jealous of Moses
12 1-3 (C) Although Moses was the most humble person in all the world, Miriam and Aaron started complaining, “Moses had no right to marry that woman from Ethiopia![e] Who does he think he is? The Lord has spoken to us, not just to him.”
The Lord heard their complaint 4 and told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to come to the entrance of the sacred tent. 5 There the Lord appeared in a cloud and told Aaron and Miriam to come closer. 6 Then after commanding them to listen carefully, he said:
“I, the Lord, speak to prophets
in visions and dreams.
7 (D) But my servant Moses
is the leader of my people.
8 He sees me face to face,
and everything I say to him
is perfectly clear.
You have no right to criticize
my servant Moses.”
9 The Lord became angry with Aaron and Miriam. And after the Lord left 10 and the cloud disappeared from over the sacred tent, Miriam's skin turned white with leprosy.[f] When Aaron saw what had happened to her, 11 he said to Moses, “Sir, please don't punish us for doing such a foolish thing. 12 Don't let Miriam's flesh rot away like a child born dead!”
13 Moses prayed, “Lord God, please heal her.”
14 (E) But the Lord replied, “Miriam would be disgraced for seven days if her father had punished her by spitting in her face. So make her stay outside the camp for seven days, before coming back.”
15 The people of Israel did not move their camp until Miriam returned seven days later. 16 Then they left Hazeroth and set up camp in the Paran Desert.
Twelve Men Are Sent into Canaan
(Deuteronomy 1.19-33)
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Choose a leader from each tribe and send them into Canaan to explore the land I am giving you.”
3 So Moses sent twelve tribal leaders from Israel's camp in the Paran Desert 4-16 with orders to explore the land of Canaan. And here are their names:
Shammua son of Zaccur
from Reuben,
Shaphat son of Hori
from Simeon,
Caleb son of Jephunneh
from Judah,
Igal son of Joseph
from Issachar,
Joshua son of Nun
from Ephraim,[g]
Palti son of Raphu
from Benjamin,
Gaddiel son of Sodi
from Zebulun,
Gaddi son of Susi
from Manasseh,
Ammiel son of Gemalli
from Dan,
Sethur son of Michael
from Asher,
Nahbi son of Vophsi
from Naphtali,
and Geuel son of Machi
from Gad.
17 Before Moses sent them into Canaan, he said:
After you go through the Southern Desert of Canaan, continue north into the hill country 18 and find out what those regions are like. Be sure to remember how many people live there, how strong they are, 19-20 and if they live in open towns or walled cities. See if the land is good for growing crops and find out what kinds of trees grow there. It's time for grapes to ripen, so try to bring back some of the fruit that grows there.
21 The twelve men left to explore Canaan from the Zin Desert in the south all the way to the town of Rehob near Lebo-Hamath in the north. 22 As they went through the Southern Desert, they came to the town of Hebron, which was seven years older than the Egyptian town of Zoan. In Hebron, they saw the three Anakim[h] clans of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai. 23-24 When they got to Bunch Valley,[i] they cut off a branch with such a huge bunch of grapes, that it took two men to carry it on a pole. That's why the place was called Bunch Valley. Along with the grapes, they also took back pomegranates[j] and figs.
The Men Report Back to the People
25 After exploring the land of Canaan for 40 days, 26 the twelve men returned to Kadesh in the Paran Desert and told Moses, Aaron, and the people what they had seen. They showed them the fruit 27 and said:
Look at this fruit! The land we explored is rich with milk and honey. 28 But the people who live there are strong, and their cities are large and walled. We even saw the three Anakim[k] clans. 29 Besides that, the Amalekites live in the Southern Desert; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are in the hill country; and the Canaanites[l] live along the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
30 Caleb calmed down the crowd and said, “Let's go and take the land. I know we can do it!”
31 But the other men replied, “Those people are much too strong for us.” 32 Then they started spreading rumors and saying, “We won't be able to grow anything in that soil. And the people are like giants. 33 (F) In fact, we saw the Nephilim who are the ancestors of the Anakim. They were so big that we felt as small as grasshoppers.”
The Israelites Rebel against Moses
14 After the Israelites heard the report from the twelve men who had explored Canaan, the people cried all night 2 and complained to Moses and Aaron, “We wish we had died in Egypt or somewhere out here in the desert! 3 Is the Lord leading us into Canaan, just to have us killed and our women and children captured? We'd be better off in Egypt.” 4 Then they said to one another, “Let's choose our own leader and go back.”
5 Moses and Aaron bowed down to pray in front of the crowd. 6 Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in sorrow 7 and said:
We saw the land ourselves, and it's very good. 8 If we obey the Lord, he will surely give us that land rich with milk and honey. 9 (G) So don't rebel. We have no reason to be afraid of the people who live there. The Lord is on our side, and they won't stand a chance against us!
10 The crowd threatened to stone Moses and Aaron to death. But just then, the Lord appeared in a cloud at the sacred tent.
Moses Prays for the People
11 The Lord said to Moses, “I have done great things for these people, and they still reject me by refusing to believe in my power. 12 So they will no longer be my people. I will destroy them, but I will make you the ancestor of a nation even stronger than theirs.”
13-16 (H) Moses replied:
With your mighty power you rescued your people from Egypt, so please don't destroy us here in the desert. If you do, the Egyptians will hear about it and tell the people of Canaan. Those Canaanites already know that we are your people, and that we see you face to face. And they have heard how you lead us with a thick cloud during the day and flaming fire at night. But if you kill us, they will claim it was because you weren't powerful enough to lead us into Canaan as you promised.
17 Show us your great power, Lord. You promised 18 (I) that you love to show mercy and kindness. And you said that you are very patient, but that you will punish everyone guilty of doing wrong—not only them but their children and grandchildren as well.
19 You are merciful, and you treat people better than they deserve. So please forgive these people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.
20 Then the Lord said to Moses:
In answer to your prayer, I do forgive them. 21 (J) But as surely as I live and my power has no limit, 22-23 I swear that not one of these Israelites will enter the land I promised to give their ancestors. These people have seen my power in Egypt and in the desert, but they will never see Canaan. They have disobeyed and tested me too many times.
24 (K) But my servant Caleb isn't like the others. So because he has faith in me, I will allow him to cross into Canaan, and his descendants will settle there.
25 Now listen, Moses! The Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys of Canaan.[m] And tomorrow, you'll need to turn around and head back into the desert toward the Red Sea.[n]
The Israelites Are Punished for Complaining
26 The Lord told Moses and Aaron 27-28 to give this message to the people of Israel:
You sinful people have complained against me too many times! Now I swear by my own life that I will give you exactly what you wanted.[o] 29 (L) You will die right here in the desert, and your dead bodies will cover the ground. You have insulted me, and none of you men who are over 20 years old 30 will enter the land that I solemnly promised to give you as your own—only Caleb and Joshua[p] will go in.
31 You were worried that your own children would be captured. But I, the Lord, will let them enter the land you have rejected. 32 You will die here in the desert! 33 (M) Your children will wander around in this desert 40 years, suffering because of your sins, until all of you are dead. 34 I will punish you severely every day for the next 40 years—one year for each day that the land was explored. 35 You sinful people who ganged up against me will die here in the desert.
36 Ten of the men sent to explore the land had brought back bad news and had made the people complain against the Lord. 37 So he sent a deadly disease that killed those men, 38 but he let Joshua and Caleb live.
The Israelites Fail To Enter Canaan
(Deuteronomy 1.41-45)
39 The people of Israel were very sad after Moses gave them the Lord's message. 40 So they got up early the next morning and got ready to head toward the hill country of Canaan. They said, “We were wrong to complain about the Lord. Let's go into the land that he promised us.”
41 But Moses replied, “You're disobeying the Lord! Your plan won't work, 42-43 so don't even try it. The Lord refuses to help you, because you turned your backs on him. The Amalekites and the Canaanites are your enemies, and they will attack and defeat you.”
44 But the Israelites ignored Moses[q] and marched toward the hill country, even though the sacred chest and Moses did not go with them. 45 The Amalekites and the Canaanites came down from the hill country, defeated the Israelites, and chased them as far as the town of Hormah.
Footnotes
- 11.3 Burning: Or “Taberah.”
- 11.25 some authority: Or “some of the Spirit's power.”
- 11.28 Joshua: Hebrew “Joshua son of Nun.”
- 11.34 Graves for the Greedy: Or “Kibroth-Hattaavah.”
- 12.1-3 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has “Cush,” which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
- 12.10 leprosy: See the note at 5.2,3.
- 13.4-16 Joshua … Ephraim: Hebrew “Hoshea son of Nun from Ephraim; Moses renamed him Joshua.”
- 13.22 Anakim: Perhaps a group of very large people (see Deuteronomy 2.10,11, 20,21).
- 13.23,24 Bunch Valley: Or “Eshcol Valley.”
- 13.23,24 pomegranates: A bright red fruit that looks like an apple.
- 13.28 Anakim: See the note at 13.22.
- 13.29 Amalekites … Hittites … Jebusites … Amorites … Canaanites: These people lived in Canaan before the Israelites.
- 14.25 The Amalekites and the Canaanites … valleys of Canaan: That is, all possible ways into Canaan were blocked.
- 14.25 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at Exodus 13.18).
- 14.27,28 wanted: See verse 2.
- 14.30 Caleb and Joshua: Hebrew “Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”
- 14.44 ignored Moses: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Numbers 11-14
New International Version
Numbers 11-14
New International Version
Fire From the Lord
11 Now the people complained(A) about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord,(B) and when he heard them his anger was aroused.(C) Then fire from the Lord burned among them(D) and consumed(E) some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed(F) to the Lord(G) and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah,[a](H) because fire from the Lord had burned among them.(I)
Quail From the Lord
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food,(J) and again the Israelites started wailing(K) and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.(L) 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!(M)”
7 The manna was like coriander seed(N) and looked like resin.(O) 8 The people went around gathering it,(P) and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. 9 When the dew(Q) settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing(R) at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble(S) on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?(T) 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant,(U) to the land you promised on oath(V) to their ancestors?(W) 13 Where can I get meat for all these people?(X) They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.(Y) 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me(Z)—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders(AA) who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.(AB) Have them come to the tent of meeting,(AC) that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you(AD) there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.(AE) They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.(AF)
18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves(AG) in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,(AH) “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!”(AI) Now the Lord will give you meat,(AJ) and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it(AK)—because you have rejected the Lord,(AL) who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”(AM)
21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men(AN) on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”(AO)
23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?(AP) Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.(AQ)”
24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud(AR) and spoke with him,(AS) and he took some of the power of the Spirit(AT) that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.(AU) When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied(AV)—but did not do so again.
26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them,(AW) and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 Joshua son of Nun,(AX) who had been Moses’ aide(AY) since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”(AZ)
29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets(BA) and that the Lord would put his Spirit(BB) on them!”(BC) 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail(BD) in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits[b] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.[c] Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth(BE) and before it could be consumed, the anger(BF) of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.(BG) 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,[d](BH) because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth(BI) and stayed there.
Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses
12 Miriam(BJ) and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,(BK) for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”(BL) And the Lord heard this.(BM)
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man,(BN) more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud;(BO) he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal(BP) myself to them in visions,(BQ)
I speak to them in dreams.(BR)
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;(BS)
he is faithful in all my house.(BT)
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;(BU)
he sees the form of the Lord.(BV)
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”(BW)
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them,(BX) and he left them.(BY)
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent,(BZ) Miriam’s skin was leprous[e]—it became as white as snow.(CA) Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,(CB) 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.(CC) 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!(CD)”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face,(CE) would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp(CF) for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp(CG) for seven days,(CH) and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth(CI) and encamped in the Desert of Paran.(CJ)
Exploring Canaan
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore(CK) the land of Canaan,(CL) which I am giving to the Israelites.(CM) From each ancestral tribe(CN) send one of its leaders.”
3 So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.(CO) 4 These are their names:
from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;(CP)
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;(CQ)
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.
16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore(CR) the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun(CS) the name Joshua.)(CT)
17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan,(CU) he said, “Go up through the Negev(CV) and on into the hill country.(CW) 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.(CX)” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)(CY)
21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin(CZ) as far as Rehob,(DA) toward Lebo Hamath.(DB) 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron,(DC) where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai,(DD) the descendants of Anak,(DE) lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)(DF) 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,[f](DG) they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates(DH) and figs.(DI) 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25 At the end of forty days(DJ) they returned from exploring the land.(DK)
Report on the Exploration
26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh(DL) in the Desert of Paran.(DM) There they reported to them(DN) and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.(DO) 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!(DP) Here is its fruit.(DQ) 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.(DR) We even saw descendants of Anak(DS) there.(DT) 29 The Amalekites(DU) live in the Negev; the Hittites,(DV) Jebusites(DW) and Amorites(DX) live in the hill country;(DY) and the Canaanites(DZ) live near the sea and along the Jordan.(EA)”
30 Then Caleb(EB) 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.”(EC) 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report(ED) about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours(EE) those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.(EF) 33 We saw the Nephilim(EG) there (the descendants of Anak(EH) come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers(EI) in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
The People Rebel
14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.(EJ) 2 All the Israelites grumbled(EK) against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!(EL) Or in this wilderness!(EM) 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?(EN) Our wives and children(EO) will be taken as plunder.(EP) Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?(EQ)” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.(ER)”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown(ES) in front of the whole Israelite assembly(ET) gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun(EU) and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes(EV) 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.(EW) 8 If the Lord is pleased with us,(EX) he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey,(EY) and will give it to us.(EZ) 9 Only do not rebel(FA) against the Lord. And do not be afraid(FB) of the people of the land,(FC) because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with(FD) us.(FE) Do not be afraid of them.”(FF)
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning(FG) them. Then the glory of the Lord(FH) 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?(FI) How long will they refuse to believe in me,(FJ) in spite of all the signs(FK) I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague(FL) and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation(FM) greater and stronger than they.”(FN)
13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.(FO) 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard(FP) that you, Lord, are with these people(FQ) and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face,(FR) that your cloud stays over them,(FS) and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.(FT) 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,(FU) so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’(FV)
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.(FW) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’(FX) 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive(FY) the sin of these people,(FZ) just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”(GA)
20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them,(GB) as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live(GC) and as surely as the glory of the Lord(GD) fills the whole earth,(GE) 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs(GF) I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times(GG)— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath(GH) to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt(GI) will ever see it.(GJ) 24 But because my servant Caleb(GK) has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly,(GL) I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.(GM) 25 Since the Amalekites(GN) and the Canaanites(GO) are living in the valleys, turn(GP) back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[g](GQ)”
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.(GR) 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,(GS) declares the Lord, I will do to you(GT) the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall(GU)—every one of you twenty years old or more(GV) who was counted in the census(GW) and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land(GX) I swore with uplifted hand(GY) to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh(GZ) and Joshua son of Nun.(HA) 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.(HB) 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall(HC) in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,(HD) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years(HE)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land(HF)—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(HG) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.(HH)”
36 So the men Moses had sent(HI) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble(HJ) against him by spreading a bad report(HK) about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report(HL) about the land were struck down and died of a plague(HM) before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land,(HN) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.(HO)
39 When Moses reported this(HP) to all the Israelites, they mourned(HQ) bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country,(HR) saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!(HS)”
41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!(HT) 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,(HU) 43 for the Amalekites(HV) and the Canaanites(HW) will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you(HX) and you will fall by the sword.”
44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up(HY) toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.(HZ) 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites(IA) who lived in that hill country(IB) came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.(IC)
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:3 Taberah means burning.
- Numbers 11:31 That is, about 3 feet or about 90 centimeters
- Numbers 11:32 That is, possibly about 1 3/4 tons or about 1.6 metric tons
- Numbers 11:34 Kibroth Hattaavah means graves of craving.
- Numbers 12:10 The Hebrew for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
- Numbers 13:23 Eshkol means cluster; also in verse 24.
- Numbers 14:25 Or the Sea of Reeds
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