Numbers 14:20-45

New American Standard Bible

The Lord Pardons and Rebukes

²⁰ So the Lord said, “^(A)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; ²¹ however, ^(B)as I live, ^[a](C)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. ²² Certainly ^(D)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet ^(E)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, ^23 (F)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, ^(G)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, ^(H)I will bring him into the land which he ^[b]entered, and his ^[c]descendants shall take possession of it. ^25 (I)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the ^[d]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 ^(J)grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are ^[e]voicing against Me. ²⁸ Say to them, ‘^(K)As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as ^(L)you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; ^29 (M)your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all ^(N)your ^[f]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 ^[g]swore to settle you, ^(O)except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. ^31 (P)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 (Q)But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. ³³ Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for ^(R)forty years, and they will ^[h]suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. ³⁴ In accordance with the ^(S)number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your ^[i]guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. ^35 (T)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 (U)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 (V)those men who brought the bad report of the land also died by a ^(W)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 ^(X)these words to all the sons of Israel, ^(Y)the people mourned greatly. ⁴⁰ In the morning, however, they got up early and went up to the ^[j]ridge of the hill country, saying, “^(Z)Here we are; and we will go up to the place which the Lord has ^[k]promised, for ^[l]we have sinned.” ⁴¹ But Moses said, “^(AA)Why then are you ^(AB)violating the ^[m]command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed? ^42 (AC)Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, ^[n]to prevent you from being defeated ^[o]by your enemies. ⁴³ For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there ^[p]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 ^[q]ridge of the hill country; neither ^(AD)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 ^(AE)Hormah.