The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a ^(A)Cushite woman); ^2 (B)and they said, “Is it a fact that the Lord has spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard this. ³ (Now the man Moses was ^(C)very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth.) ⁴ And the Lord suddenly said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “You three go out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. ^5 (D)Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent; and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, ⁶ He said,

⁹ And the anger of the Lord burned against them and ^(K)He departed. ¹⁰ But when the cloud had withdrawn from above the tent, behold, ^(L)Miriam was leprous, as ^(M)white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. ¹¹ Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, ^(N)do not ^[c]hold us responsible for this sin by which we have turned out to be foolish, and by which we have sinned. ¹² Oh, do not let her be like a dead person, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” ¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “God, ^(O)heal her, please!” ¹⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had only ^(P)spit in her face, would she not be put to shame for seven days? Have her shut ^(Q)outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” ¹⁵ So ^(R)Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

¹⁶ Afterward, however, the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Spies View the Land

13 Then ^(S)the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(T)Send out men for yourself to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” ³ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the ^[d]command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. ⁴ These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; ⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; ⁶ from the tribe of Judah, ^(U)Caleb the son of Jephunneh; ⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; ⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, ^(V)Hoshea the son of Nun; ⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; ¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; ¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; ¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; ¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; ¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; ¹⁵ and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. ¹⁶ These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called ^(W)Hoshea the son of Nun, ^[e]Joshua.

¹⁷ When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into ^(X)the ^[f]Negev; then go up into the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many. ¹⁹ And how is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are the people in open camps or in fortifications? ²⁰ And ^(Y)how is the land, is it ^[g]productive or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? And ^(Z)show yourselves courageous and get 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 from ^(AA)the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, ^[h](AB)at Lebo-hamath. ²² When they had gone up into ^(AC)the Negev, ^[i]they came to Hebron where ^(AD)Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the ^[j]descendants of ^(AE)Anak were. (Hebron was built seven years before ^(AF)Zoan in Egypt.)

²³ Then they came to the ^[k]Valley of ^[l](AG)Eshcol, and from there they cut off a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of ^[m]Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut off from there.

The Spies’ Reports

²⁵ When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, ²⁶ they went on and came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ^[n]in the wilderness of Paran at ^(AH)Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ So they reported to him and said, “We came into the land where you sent us, and ^(AI)it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and ^(AJ)this is its fruit. ²⁸ Nevertheless, ^(AK)the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And indeed, we saw ^(AL)the ^[o]descendants of Anak there! ²⁹ Amalek is living in the land of ^(AM)the Negev, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and ^(AN)the Amorites are living in the hill country, and ^(AO)the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb quieted the people ^[p]before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will certainly prevail over it.” ³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “^(AP)We are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us.” ³² So they brought ^(AQ)a bad report of the land which they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to spy out is ^(AR)a land that devours its inhabitants; and ^(AS)all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature. ³³ We also saw the ^[q](AT)Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and ^(AU)we were like ^[r]grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation ^[s]raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept ^[t]that night. ² And all the sons of Israel ^(AV)grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “^(AW)If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! ³ So why is the Lord bringing us into this land ^(AX)to fall by the sword? ^(AY)Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they said to one another, “^(AZ)Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

^5 (BA)Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. ⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “^(BB)The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. ^8 (BC)If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—^(BD)a land which flows with milk and honey. ⁹ Only ^(BE)do not rebel against the Lord; and do not ^(BF)fear the people of the land, for they will be our ^[u]prey. Their ^[v]protection is gone from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” ^10 (BG)But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then ^(BH)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

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

^13 (BM)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 ^(BN)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 ^[y]all at once, ^(BO)then the nations who have heard of Your fame will ^[z]say, ¹⁶ ‘Since the Lord ^(BP)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 ‘^(BQ)The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving wrongdoing and violation of His Law; but ^(BR)He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, ^(BS)inflicting the ^[aa]punishment of the fathers on the children ^[ab]to the third and the fourth generations.’ ¹⁹ Please ^(BT)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, “^(BU)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; ²¹ however, ^(BV)as I live, ^[ac](BW)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. ²² Certainly ^(BX)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet ^(BY)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, ^23 (BZ)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, ^(CA)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, ^(CB)I will bring him into the land which he ^[ad]entered, and his ^[ae]descendants shall take possession of it. ^25 (CC)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the ^[af]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 ^(CD)grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are ^[ag]voicing against Me. ²⁸ Say to them, ‘^(CE)As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as ^(CF)you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; ^29 (CG)your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all ^(CH)your ^[ah]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 ^[ai]swore to settle you, ^(CI)except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. ^31 (CJ)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 (CK)But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. ³³ Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for ^(CL)forty years, and they will ^[aj]suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. ³⁴ In accordance with the ^(CM)number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your ^[ak]guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. ^35 (CN)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 (CO)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 (CP)those men who brought the bad report of the land also died by a ^(CQ)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 ^(CR)these words to all the sons of Israel, ^(CS)the people mourned greatly. ⁴⁰ In the morning, however, they got up early and went up to the ^[al]ridge of the hill country, saying, “^(CT)Here we are; and we will go up to the place which the Lord has ^[am]promised, for ^[an]we have sinned.” ⁴¹ But Moses said, “^(CU)Why then are you ^(CV)violating the ^[ao]command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed? ^42 (CW)Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, ^[ap]to prevent you from being defeated ^[aq]by your enemies. ⁴³ For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there ^[ar]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 ^[as]ridge of the hill country; neither ^(CX)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 ^(CY)Hormah.

A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.

A Psalm of David.

You Are Built Up in Christ

2 For I want you to know how great a ^(A)struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at ^(B)Laodicea, and for all those who have not ^[a]personally seen my face, ² that their ^(C)hearts may be encouraged, having been ^(D)knit together in love, and that they would attain to all ^(E)the wealth ^[b]that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a ^(F)true knowledge of ^(G)God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, ³ in whom are hidden all ^(H)the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ^4 (I)I say this so that no one will deceive you with ^(J)persuasive arguments. ⁵ For even though I am ^(K)absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing ^[c]to see ^[d]your ^(L)orderly manner and the ^(M)stability of your faith in Christ.

⁶ Therefore, as you have received ^(N)Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^[e](O)walk in Him, ⁷ having been firmly ^(P)rooted and now being ^(Q)built up in Him and ^(R)established ^[f]in ^[g]your faith, just as you ^(S)were instructed, and overflowing ^[h]with gratitude.

^8 (T)See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through ^(U)philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the ^(V)elementary principles of the world, ^[i]rather than in accordance with Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the ^(W)fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Him you have been ^(X)made ^[j]complete, and ^(Y)He is the head ^[k]over every ^(Z)ruler and authority; ¹¹ and in Him ^(AA)you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of ^(AB)the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been ^(AC)buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also ^(AD)raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who ^(AE)raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And ^[l]when you were ^(AF)dead ^[m]in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He ^(AG)made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, ¹⁴ having canceled ^(AH)the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and ^(AI)He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ When He had ^[n](AJ)disarmed the ^(AK)rulers and authorities, He ^(AL)made a public display of them, having ^(AM)triumphed over them through ^[o]Him.

¹⁶ Therefore, no one is to ^[p](AN)act as your judge in regard to ^(AO)food and ^(AP)drink, or in respect to a ^(AQ)festival or a ^(AR)new moon, or a ^(AS)Sabbath ^[q]day— ¹⁷ things which are only a ^(AT)shadow of what is to come; but the ^[r]substance ^[s]belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Take care that no one keeps ^[t](AU)defrauding you of your prize by ^(AV)delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, ^[u]taking his stand on visions he has seen, ^[v](AW)inflated without cause by his ^(AX)fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding firmly to ^(AY)the head, from whom ^(AZ)the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ^[w]ligaments, grows with a growth ^[x]which is from God.

^20 (BA)If you have died with Christ ^[y]to the ^(BB)elementary principles of the world, ^(BC)why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to ^(BD)decrees, such as, ²¹ “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” ²² (which all refer ^(BE)to things destined to perish ^[z]with use)—in accordance with the ^(BF)commandments and teachings of man? ²³ These are matters which do have the ^[aa]appearance of wisdom in ^[ab](BG)self-made religion and humility and ^(BH)severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against ^(BI)fleshly indulgence.