Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Parashah 37: Shlach L’kha (Send on your behalf) 13:1–15:41

13 Adonai said to Moshe, ² “Send men on your behalf to reconnoiter the land of Kena‘an, which I am giving to the people of Isra’el. From each ancestral tribe send someone who is a leader in his tribe.”

¹⁷ Moshe sent them to reconnoiter the land of Kena‘an, instructing them, “Go on up to the Negev and into the hills, ¹⁸ and see what the land is like. Notice the people living there, whether they are strong or weak, few or many; ¹⁹ and what kind of country they live in, whether it is good or bad; and what kind of cities they live in, open or fortified. ²⁰ See whether the land is fertile or unproductive and whether there is wood in it or not. Finally, be bold enough to bring back some of the fruit of the land.”

When they left it was the season for the first grapes to ripen. (ii) ²¹ They went up and reconnoitered the land from the Tzin Desert to Rechov near the entrance to Hamat. ²² They went up into the Negev and arrived at Hevron; Achiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the ‘Anakim, lived there. (Hevron was built seven years before Tzo‘an in Egypt.) ²³ They came to the Eshkol Valley; and there they cut off a branch bearing one cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two of them; they also took pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of Eshkol [cluster], because of the cluster which the people of Isra’el cut down there.

²⁵ Forty days later, they returned from reconnoitering the land ²⁶ and went to Moshe, Aharon and the entire community of the people of Isra’el at Kadesh in the Pa’ran Desert, where they brought back word to them and to the entire community and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ What they told him was this: “We entered the land where you sent us, and indeed it does flow with milk and honey — here is its fruit! ²⁸ However the people living in the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the ‘Anakim there. ²⁹ ‘Amalek lives in the area of the Negev; the Hitti, the Y’vusi and the Emori live in the hills; and the Kena‘ani live by the sea and alongside the Yarden.”

³⁰ Kalev silenced the people around Moshe and said, “We ought to go up immediately and take possession of it; there is no question that we can conquer it.” ³¹ But the men who had gone with him said, “We can’t attack those people, because they are stronger than we are”; ³² and they spread a negative report about the land they had reconnoitered for the people of Isra’el by saying, “The land we passed through in order to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there were giant! ³³ We saw the N’filim, the descendants of ‘Anak, who was from the N’filim; to ourselves we looked like grasshoppers by comparison, and we looked that way to them too!”

14 At this all the people of Isra’el cried out in dismay and wept all night long. ² Moreover, all the people of Isra’el began grumbling against Moshe and Aharon; the whole community told them, “We wish we had died in the land of Egypt! or that we had died here in the desert! ³ Why is Adonai bringing us to this land, where we will die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be taken as booty! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ And they said to each other, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

⁵ Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before the entire assembled community of the people of Isra’el. ⁶ Y’hoshua the son of Nun and Kalev the son of Y’funeh, from the detachment that had reconnoitered the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the whole community of Isra’el, “The land we passed through in order to spy it out is an outstandingly good land! (iii) ⁸ If Adonai is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us — a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁹ Just don’t rebel against Adonai. And don’t be afraid of the people living in the land — we’ll eat them up! Their defense has been taken away from them, and Adonai is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

²² As they were going about together in the Galil, Yeshua said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of people ²³ who will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were filled with sadness.

²⁴ When they came to K’far-Nachum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Kefa and said, “Doesn’t your rabbi pay the Temple tax?” ²⁵ “Of course he does,” said Kefa. When he arrived home, Yeshua spoke first. “Shim‘on, what’s your opinion? The kings of the earth — from whom do they collect duties and taxes? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶ “From others,” he answered. “Then,” said Yeshua, “The sons are exempt. ²⁷ But to avoid offending them — go to the lake, throw out a line, and take the first fish you catch. Open its mouth, and you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to them for me and for you.”