Numbers 14
New King James Version
Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan
14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people (A)wept that night. 2 (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! 3 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?” 4 So they said to one another, (D)“Let us select a leader and (E)return to Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron [b]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: (F)“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 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.’ 9 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.
Footnotes
- 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
- Numbers 14:41 overstep
Numbers 14
American Standard Version
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 that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore doth Jehovah bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will 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, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes: 7 and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land. 8 If Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their [a]defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not. 10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel.
11 And Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them? 12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.
13 And Moses said unto Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will 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. They have heard that thou Jehovah art in the midst of this people; for thou Jehovah art seen [b]face to face, and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16 Because Jehovah 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 pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy lovingkindness, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21 but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah; 22 because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me 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 despised 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 Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: to-morrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.
26 And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28 Say unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, 30 surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I [c]sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall be [d]wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know [e]my alienation. 35 I, Jehovah, have spoken, surely this will I do 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, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land, 37 even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Jehovah. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.
39 And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Jehovah hath promised: for we have sinned. 41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah, seeing it shall not prosper? 42 Go not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies. 43 For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned back from following Jehovah, therefore Jehovah will not be with you. 44 But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.
Footnotes
- Numbers 14:9 Hebrew shadow.
- Numbers 14:14 Hebrew eye to eye.
- Numbers 14:30 Hebrew lifted up my hand.
- Numbers 14:33 Hebrew shepherds.
- Numbers 14:34 Or, the revoking of my promise
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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