Numbers 14
Lexham English Bible
The People Complain
14 Then all the community lifted up their voices,[a] and the people wept during that night. 2 And all the Israelites[b] grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and all the community said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt or in this desert! 3 Why did Yahweh bring us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little children will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 They said to each other,[c] “Let us appoint a leader, and we will return to Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before[d] the assembly of the community of the Israelites.[e] 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the explorers of the land, tore their garments. 7 And they said to all the community of the Israelites,[f] “The land that we went through to explore is an exceptionally good land.[g] 8 If Yahweh delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and he will give it to us, a land that is flowing with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against Yahweh, and you will not fear the people of the land, because they will be our food. Their protection[h] has been turned from them; Yahweh is with us. You should not fear them.” 10 And all the community said to stone them with stones, but the glory of Yahweh appeared in the tent of assembly among the Israelites.[i]
11 And Yahweh said to Moses, “How long until this people will despise me, and how long until they will not believe in me, and in all the signs that I have done in their[j] midst? 12 I will strike them[k] with disease, and I will dispossess them;[l] I will make you into a greater and stronger nation than them.”[m]
13 And Moses said to Yahweh, “Then the Egyptians will hear that you brought up this people from their[n] midst in your power, 14 and they will tell it[o] to the inhabitants of this land. They heard that you, Yahweh, are in the midst of this people, that you are seen eye to eye, and your cloud is standing over them, and in a column of cloud you go before them by day and in a column of fire at night. 15 But if you destroy this people all at once,[p] the nations that will have heard your message will say, 16 ‘Yahweh was unable to bring this people in the land that he swore by an oath, and he slaughtered them in the desert.’ 17 But now, please, let the power of my Lord be great, just has you spoke,
18 ‘Yahweh is slow to anger[q]
and great of loyal love,
forgiving[r] sin and rebellion;
but surely he leaves nothing unpunished,
visiting the sin of the fathers on the sons
to the third and fourth generations.’
19 Please forgive the sin of this people according to the greatness of your loyal love, just as you forgave[s] this people, from Egypt until now.”
20 Yahweh said, “I have forgiven them according to your word; 21 but as I am alive, the glory of Yahweh will fill all the earth. 22 But because all the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the desert yet tested me these ten times and did not listen to my voice, 23 they will not see the land that I swore by oath to their ancestors,[t] and all those who despised me will not see it. 24 But my servant Caleb, because another spirit was with him, he remained true after me, and I will bring him into the land that he entered,[u] and his offspring will take possession of it. 25 And the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; tomorrow turn and set out for the desert by way of the Red Sea.”[v]
26 And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long will I bear this evil community who are grumbling against me? I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites[w] which they are making[x] against me. 28 Say to them, ‘Surely as I live,’ declares[y] Yahweh, ‘just as you spoke in my hearing,[z] so I will do to you; 29 in this desert your corpses will fall, and all your counted ones, according to all your number, from twenty years old[aa] and above who grumbled against me. 30 You yourselves will not come into the land that I swore by oath[ab] to make you to dwell in it, but Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 But your little children, whom you said would be plunder, I will bring them, and they will know the land that you rejected. 32 But for you, all your corpses will fall in this desert. 33 And your children will be shepherds in the desert forty years,[ac] and you will bear your unfaithfulness until all your corpses have fallen[ad] in the desert. 34 According to the number of the days[ae] that you explored the land, forty days,[af] a day for each year,[ag] you will bear your sins forty years,[ah] and you will know my opposition.’ 35 I, Yahweh, have spoken; I will surely do this to all this evil community who has banded together against me. In this desert they will come to an end, and there they will die.”
36 As for the men whom Moses sent to explore the land, who returned and made the community grumble against him by spreading a report over the land, 37 the men who spread the evil report of the land died by the plague before Yahweh.[ai] 38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh lived from among the men who went to explore the land.
39 And Moses spoke words to all the Israelites,[aj] and the people mourned greatly. 40 They rose early in the morning and went to the top of the mount, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that Yahweh said, because we have sinned.” 41 But Moses said, “Why are you going against the command of Yahweh? It will not succeed. 42 You should not go up because Yahweh is not in your midst; do not let yourselves be defeated in the presence of your enemies, 43 because the Amalekites[ak] and the Canaanites[al] are there before you,[am] and you will fall by the sword; because you have turned back from Yahweh, and Yahweh will not be with you.” 44 But they dared to go to the top of the mountain, and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and Moses did not depart from the midst of the camp. 45 So the Amalekites[an] and the Canaanites[ao] who were living on the mountain descended, and they beat them down, up to Hormah.
Footnotes
- Numbers 14:1 Hebrew “they lifted up and gave their voice”
- Numbers 14:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 14:4 Literally “A man said to his brother”
- Numbers 14:5 Literally “in the presence of”
- Numbers 14:5 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 14:7 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 14:7 Literally “the land is very very good”
- Numbers 14:9 Literally “Their shadow”
- Numbers 14:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 14:11 Hebrew “his”
- Numbers 14:12 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 14:12 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 14:12 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 14:13 Hebrew “his”
- Numbers 14:14 Literally “say”
- Numbers 14:15 Literally “as one man”
- Numbers 14:18 Literally “slow of noses”
- Numbers 14:18 Literally “lifting up”
- Numbers 14:19 Literally “lifted up”
- Numbers 14:23 Or “fathers”
- Numbers 14:24 Or “he went to”
- Numbers 14:25 Literally “sea of reed”
- Numbers 14:27 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 14:27 Literally “they are grumbling”
- Numbers 14:28 Literally “declaration of”
- Numbers 14:28 Literally “in my ears”
- Numbers 14:29 Literally “a son of twenty years”
- Numbers 14:30 Literally “I lifted up my hand”
- Numbers 14:33 Hebrew “year”
- Numbers 14:33 Literally “until to complete your corpses”
- Numbers 14:34 Hebrew “day”
- Numbers 14:34 Hebrew “day”
- Numbers 14:34 Literally “a day for a year a day for a year”
- Numbers 14:34 Hebrew “year”
- Numbers 14:37 Literally “in the presence of Yahweh”
- Numbers 14:39 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 14:43 Hebrew “Amalekite”
- Numbers 14:43 Hebrew “Canaanite”
- Numbers 14:43 Literally “in your presence”
- Numbers 14:45 Hebrew “Amalekite”
- Numbers 14:45 Hebrew “Canaanite”
Numbers 14
Easy-to-Read Version
The People Complain Again
14 That night all the people in the camp began shouting loudly. 2 The Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron. All the people came together and said to Moses and Aaron, “We should have died in Egypt or in the desert. 3 Did the Lord bring us to this new land to be killed in war? The enemy will kill us and take our wives and children! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt.”
4 Then the people said to each other, “Let’s choose another leader and go back to Egypt.”
5 Moses and Aaron bowed low to the ground in front of all the people gathered there. 6 Joshua and Caleb became very upset. (Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were two of the men who explored the land.) 7 These two men said to all the Israelites gathered there, “The land that we saw is very good. 8 It is a land filled with many good things. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land. And he will give that land to us. 9 So don’t turn against the Lord! Don’t be afraid of the people in that land. We can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. But we have the Lord with us, so don’t be afraid!”
10 All the people began talking about killing Joshua and Caleb with stones. But the Glory of the Lord appeared over the Meeting Tent where all the people could see it. 11 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “How long will these people continue to turn against me? They show that they don’t trust me or believe in my power, in spite of the many miracles I have done among them. 12 I will kill them all with a terrible sickness. I will destroy them, and I will use you to make another nation. Your nation will be greater and stronger than these people.”
13 Then Moses said to the Lord, “If you do that, the Egyptians will hear about it! They know that you used your great power to bring your people out of Egypt. 14 The Egyptians have already told the people in Canaan about it. They already know you are the Lord. They know that you are with your people. They know that the people saw you. Those people know about the special cloud. They know you use the cloud to lead your people during the day. And they know the cloud becomes a fire to lead your people at night. 15 So you must not kill these people now. If you kill them, all the nations who have heard about your power will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land he promised them. So he killed them in the desert.’
17 “So now, Lord, show your strength! Show it the way you said you would. 18 You said, ‘The Lord is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He forgives[a] those who are guilty and break the law. But he always punishes those who are guilty. He punishes them, and he also punishes their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren for those bad things.’ 19 Now, show your great love to these people. Forgive their sin. Forgive them the same way you have been forgiving them since the time they left Egypt until now.”
20 The Lord answered, “Yes, I will forgive the people as you asked. 21 But I tell you the truth. As surely as I live and as surely as the Glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, I make you this promise: 22 None of the people I led out of Egypt will ever see the land of Canaan. They saw my glory and the great signs that I did in Egypt and in the desert. But they disobeyed me and tested me ten times. 23 I promised their ancestors that I would give them that land. But none of those people who turned against me will ever enter that land! 24 But my servant Caleb was different. He follows me completely. So I will bring him into the land that he has already seen, and his people will get that land. 25 The Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valley. So tomorrow you must leave this place. Go back to the desert on the road to the Red Sea.”
The Lord Punishes the People
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long will these evil people continue to complain against me? I have heard their complaints and their griping. 28 So tell them, ‘The Lord says that he will surely do all those things to you that you complained about. This is what will happen to you: 29 You will die in this desert. Every person who is 20 years old or older and was counted as one of my people will die. You complained against me. 30 So none of you will ever enter and live in the land that I promised to give you. Only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will enter that land. 31 You were afraid and complained that your enemies in that new land would take your children away from you. But I tell you that I will bring them into the land. They will enjoy what you refused to accept. 32 As for you people, you will die in this desert.
33 “‘Your children will wander around like shepherds here in the desert for 40 years. They will suffer because you were not faithful to me. They must suffer until all of you lie dead in the desert. 34 For 40 years you will suffer for your sins. (That is one year for each of the 40 days that the men explored the land.) You will know that it is a terrible thing for me to be against you.’
35 “I am the Lord, and I have spoken. And I promise that I will do these things to all these evil people. They have come together against me. So they will all die here in this desert.”
36 The men Moses sent to explore the new land were the ones who came back complaining about him to all the Israelites. They said that the people were not strong enough to enter that land. 37 The men were responsible for spreading the trouble among the Israelites. So the Lord caused a sickness to kill all those men. 38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were among the men who were sent out to explore the land. They are the only ones who did not get the sickness that caused the others to die.
The People Try to Go Into Canaan
39 When Moses told the Israelites this, they were very sad. 40 Early the next morning the people started to go up to the high hill country. They said, “We have sinned. We are sorry that we did not trust the Lord. We will go to the place that the Lord promised.”
41 But Moses said, “Why are you not obeying the Lord’s command? You will not be successful! 42 Don’t go into that land. The Lord is not with you, so your enemies will easily defeat you. 43 The Amalekites and Canaanites will fight against you there. You have turned away from the Lord, so he will not be with you when you fight them. And you will all be killed in battle.”
44 But the people did not believe Moses. They went toward the high hill country. But Moses and the Box of the Lord’s Agreement did not go with the people. 45 The Amalekites and the Canaanites living in the hill country came down and attacked the Israelites and easily defeated them and chased them all the way to Hormah.
Footnotes
- Numbers 14:18 forgives Or “spares.”
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