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:

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^[b] clans of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai. ^23-24 When they got to Bunch Valley,^[c] 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^[d] 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^[e] clans. ²⁹ Besides that, the Amalekites live in the Southern Desert; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are in the hill country; and the Canaanites^[f] 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 (A) 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 (B) 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 (C) 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 (D) 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 (E) 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 (F) 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.^[g] And tomorrow, you'll need to turn around and head back into the desert toward the Red Sea.^[h]

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.^{[i] 29 (G)} 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^[j] 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 (H) 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^[k] 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.

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram Lead a Rebellion

16 ^1-2 (A)(B) Korah son of Izhar was a Levite from the Kohathite clan. One day he called together Dathan, Abiram, and On^[a] from the Reuben tribe, and the four of them decided to rebel against Moses. So they asked 250 respected Israelite leaders for their support, and together they went to Moses ³ and Aaron and said, “Why do you think you're so much better than everyone else? We're part of the Lord's holy people, and he's with all of us. What makes you think you're the only ones in charge?”

⁴ When Moses heard this, he knelt down to pray.^{[b] 5} Then he said to Korah and his followers:

Tomorrow morning the Lord will show us the person he has chosen to be his priest, and that man will faithfully serve him.

^6-7 Korah, here is what you and your followers must do: Get some fire pans, fill them with coals and incense, and place them near the sacred tent. And the man the Lord chooses will be his priest.^[c] Korah, this time you Levites have gone too far!

^8-9 You know that the God of Israel has chosen you Levites from all Israel to serve him by being in charge of the sacred tent and by helping the community to worship in the proper way. What more do you want? ¹⁰ The Lord has given you a special responsibility, and now, Korah, you think you should also be his priest. ¹¹ You and your followers have rebelled against the Lord, not against Aaron.

¹² Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, but they sent back this message: “We won't come! ¹³ It's bad enough that you took us from our rich farmland in Egypt to let us die here in the desert. Now you also want to boss us around! ¹⁴ You keep promising us rich farmlands with fertile fields and vineyards—but where are they? Stop trying to trick these people. No, we won't come to see you.”

¹⁵ Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Don't listen to these men! I haven't done anything wrong to them. I haven't taken as much as a donkey.”

¹⁶ Then he said to Korah, “Tomorrow you and your followers must go with Aaron to the Lord's sacred tent. ¹⁷ Each of you take along your fire pan with incense in it and offer the incense to the Lord.”

¹⁸ The next day the men placed incense and coals in their fire pans and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the sacred tent. ¹⁹ Meanwhile, Korah had convinced the rest of the Israelites to rebel against their two leaders.

When that happened, the Lord appeared in all his glory ²⁰ and said to Moses and Aaron, ²¹ “Get away from the rest of the Israelites so I can kill them at once!”

²² But the two men bowed down and prayed, “Our God, you gave these people life. Why would you punish everyone here when only one man has sinned?”

²³ The Lord answered Moses, ²⁴ “Tell the people to stay away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

²⁵ Moses walked over to Dathan and Abiram, and the other leaders of Israel followed. ²⁶ Then Moses warned the people, “Get away from the tents of these sinful men! Don't touch anything that belongs to them or you'll be wiped out.” ²⁷ So everyone moved away from those tents, except Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their families.

²⁸ Moses said to the crowd, “The Lord has chosen me and told me to do these things—it wasn't my idea. And here's how you will know: ²⁹ If these men die a natural death, it means the Lord hasn't chosen me. ³⁰ But suppose the Lord does something that has never been done before. For example, what if a huge crack appears in the ground, and these men and their families fall into it and are buried alive, together with everything they own? Then you will know they have turned their backs on the Lord!”

³¹ As soon as Moses said this, the ground under the men opened up ^32-33 and swallowed them alive, together with their families and everything they owned. Then the ground closed back up, and they were gone.

³⁴ The rest of the Israelites heard their screams, so they ran off, shouting, “We don't want that to happen to us!”

³⁵ Suddenly the Lord sent a fire that burned up the 250 men who had offered incense to him.

³⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, ³⁷ “Tell Aaron's son Eleazar to take the fire pans from the smoldering fire and scatter the coals. The pans are now sacred, ³⁸ because they were used for offering incense to me. Have them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar. Those men died because of their sin, and now their fire pans will become a warning for the rest of the community.”

³⁹ Eleazar collected the pans and had them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar, ⁴⁰ just as the Lord had told Moses. The pans were a warning to the Israelites that only Aaron's descendants would be allowed to offer incense to the Lord. Anyone else who tried to would be punished like Korah and his followers.

The Israelites Rebel and Are Punished

⁴¹ The next day the people of Israel again complained against Moses and Aaron, “The two of you killed some of the Lord's people!”

⁴² As the people crowded around them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the sacred tent, and the Lord appeared in his glory in the cloud covering the tent. ⁴³ So Moses and Aaron walked to the front of the tent, ^44 (C) where the Lord said to them, ⁴⁵ “Stand back! I am going to wipe out these Israelites once and for all.”

They immediately bowed down and prayed. ⁴⁶ Then Moses told Aaron, “Grab your fire pan and fill it with hot coals from the altar. Put incense in it, then quickly take it to where the people are and offer it to the Lord, so they can be forgiven. The Lord is very angry, and people have already started dying!”

^47-48 Aaron did exactly what he had been told. He ran over to the crowd of people and stood between the dead bodies and the people who were still alive. He placed the incense on the pan, then offered it to the Lord and asked him to forgive the people's sin. The disease immediately stopped spreading, and no one else died from it. ⁴⁹ But 14,700 Israelites were dead, not counting those who had died with Korah and his followers.

⁵⁰ Aaron walked back and stood with Moses at the sacred tent.