Numbers 14:33-45

New International Version

³³ Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,^(A) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. ³⁴ For forty years^(B)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land^(C)—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ ³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things^(D) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.^(E)”

³⁶ So the men Moses had sent^(F) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble^(G) against him by spreading a bad report^(H) about it— ³⁷ these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report^(I) about the land were struck down and died of a plague^(J) before the Lord. ³⁸ Of the men who went to explore the land,^(K) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.^(L)

³⁹ When Moses reported this^(M) to all the Israelites, they mourned^(N) bitterly. ⁴⁰ Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country,^(O) saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!^(P)”

⁴¹ But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!^{(Q) 42} Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,^{(R) 43} for the Amalekites^(S) and the Canaanites^(T) will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you^(U) and you will fall by the sword.”

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up^(V) toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.^{(W) 45} Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites^(X) who lived in that hill country^(Y) came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.^(Z)