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Numbers 13:17-14:38
New International Version
Numbers 13:17-14:38
New International Version
17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan,(A) he said, “Go up through the Negev(B) and on into the hill country.(C) 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.(D)” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)(E)
21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin(F) as far as Rehob,(G) toward Lebo Hamath.(H) 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron,(I) where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai,(J) the descendants of Anak,(K) lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)(L) 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,[a](M) 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(N) and figs.(O) 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(P) they returned from exploring the land.(Q)
Report on the Exploration
26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh(R) in the Desert of Paran.(S) There they reported to them(T) and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.(U) 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!(V) Here is its fruit.(W) 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.(X) We even saw descendants of Anak(Y) there.(Z) 29 The Amalekites(AA) live in the Negev; the Hittites,(AB) Jebusites(AC) and Amorites(AD) live in the hill country;(AE) and the Canaanites(AF) live near the sea and along the Jordan.(AG)”
30 Then Caleb(AH) 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.”(AI) 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report(AJ) about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours(AK) those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.(AL) 33 We saw the Nephilim(AM) there (the descendants of Anak(AN) come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers(AO) 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.(AP) 2 All the Israelites grumbled(AQ) against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!(AR) Or in this wilderness!(AS) 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?(AT) Our wives and children(AU) will be taken as plunder.(AV) Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?(AW)” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.(AX)”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown(AY) in front of the whole Israelite assembly(AZ) gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun(BA) and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes(BB) 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.(BC) 8 If the Lord is pleased with us,(BD) he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey,(BE) and will give it to us.(BF) 9 Only do not rebel(BG) against the Lord. And do not be afraid(BH) of the people of the land,(BI) because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with(BJ) us.(BK) Do not be afraid of them.”(BL)
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning(BM) them. Then the glory of the Lord(BN) 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?(BO) How long will they refuse to believe in me,(BP) in spite of all the signs(BQ) I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague(BR) and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation(BS) greater and stronger than they.”(BT)
13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.(BU) 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard(BV) that you, Lord, are with these people(BW) and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face,(BX) that your cloud stays over them,(BY) and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.(BZ) 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,(CA) so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’(CB)
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.(CC) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’(CD) 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive(CE) the sin of these people,(CF) just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”(CG)
20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them,(CH) as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live(CI) and as surely as the glory of the Lord(CJ) fills the whole earth,(CK) 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs(CL) I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times(CM)— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath(CN) to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt(CO) will ever see it.(CP) 24 But because my servant Caleb(CQ) has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly,(CR) I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.(CS) 25 Since the Amalekites(CT) and the Canaanites(CU) are living in the valleys, turn(CV) back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[b](CW)”
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.(CX) 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,(CY) declares the Lord, I will do to you(CZ) the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall(DA)—every one of you twenty years old or more(DB) who was counted in the census(DC) and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land(DD) I swore with uplifted hand(DE) to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh(DF) and Joshua son of Nun.(DG) 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.(DH) 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall(DI) in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,(DJ) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years(DK)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land(DL)—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(DM) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.(DN)”
36 So the men Moses had sent(DO) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble(DP) against him by spreading a bad report(DQ) about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report(DR) about the land were struck down and died of a plague(DS) before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land,(DT) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.(DU)
Footnotes
- Numbers 13:23 Eshkol means cluster; also in verse 24.
- Numbers 14:25 Or the Sea of Reeds
Numbers 13:17-14:38
King James Version
Numbers 13:17-14:38
King James Version
17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:
18 And see the land, what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;
20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
24 The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.
25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
14 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
13 And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.
30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
35 I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord.
38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.
Numbers 13:17-14:38
New King James Version
Numbers 13:17-14:38
New King James Version
17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to (A)the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is [a]rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. (B)Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land (C)from the Wilderness of Zin as far as (D)Rehob, near the entrance of (E)Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to (F)Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of (G)Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 (H)Then they came to the [b]Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of [c]Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at (I)Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly [d]flows with (J)milk and honey, (K)and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the (L)people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of (M)Anak there. 29 (N)The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30 Then (O)Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 (P)But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they (Q)gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and (R)all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the [e]giants ((S)the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were (T)like[f] grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were (U)in their sight.”
Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan
14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people (V)wept that night. 2 (W)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! 3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to [g]fall by the sword, that our wives and (X)children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, (Y)“Let us select a leader and (Z)return to Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron [h]fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6 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; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: (AA)“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord (AB)delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, (AC)‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only (AD)do not rebel against the Lord, (AE)nor fear the people of the land, for (AF)they[i] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, (AG)and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
10 (AH)And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now (AI)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 (AJ)reject[j] Me? And how long will they not (AK)believe Me, with all the [k]signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will (AL)make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
13 And (AM)Moses said to the Lord: (AN)“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 (AO)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 (AP)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 (AQ)‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, (AR)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 (AS)Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, (AT)according to the greatness of Your mercy, just (AU)as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
20 Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, (AV)according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, (AW)all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord— 22 (AX)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 (AY)these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not (AZ)see the land of which I [l]swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant (BA)Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and (BB)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 (BC)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 (BD)“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? (BE)I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, (BF)‘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, (BG)all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 (BH)Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I [m]swore I would make you dwell in. 31 (BI)But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall [n]know the land which (BJ)you have despised. 32 But as for you, (BK)your[o] carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall (BL)be [p]shepherds in the wilderness (BM)forty years, and (BN)bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 (BO)According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, (BP)forty days, for each day you shall bear your [q]guilt one year, namely forty years, (BQ)and you shall know My [r]rejection. 35 (BR)I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all (BS)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, (BT)died by the plague before the Lord. 38 (BU)But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.
Footnotes
- Numbers 13:20 fertile or barren
- Numbers 13:23 Wadi
- Numbers 13:24 Lit. Cluster
- Numbers 13:27 Has an abundance of food
- Numbers 13:33 Heb. nephilim
- Numbers 13:33 As mere insects
- Numbers 14:3 be killed in battle
- Numbers 14:5 prostrated themselves
- Numbers 14:9 They shall be as food for our consumption.
- Numbers 14:11 despise
- Numbers 14:11 miraculous signs
- Numbers 14:23 solemnly promised
- Numbers 14:30 solemnly promised
- Numbers 14:31 be acquainted with
- Numbers 14:32 You shall die.
- Numbers 14:33 Vg. wanderers
- Numbers 14:34 iniquity
- Numbers 14:34 opposition
New International Version (NIV) 
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.