Numbers

1All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

2All the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “We wish that we had died in the land of Egypt, or that we had died in this wilderness!

3Why does the LORD bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be captured or killed! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return into Egypt?”

4They said to one another, “Let’s choose a leader, and let’s return into Egypt.”

5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes.

7They spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.

8If the LORD delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us: a land which flows with milk and honey.

9Only don’t rebel against the LORD, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defence is removed from over them, and the LORD is with us. Don’t fear them.”

10But all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. The LORD’s glory appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

11The LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? How long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have worked amongst them?

12I will strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from amongst them.

14They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you LORD are amongst this people; for you LORD are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them, and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

15Now if you killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,

16‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.’

17Now please let the power of the Lordbe great, according as you have spoken, saying,

18‘The LORD is slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and disobedience; and he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation.’

19Please pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, and just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

20The LORD said, “I have pardoned according to your word;

21but in very deed—as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the LORD’s glory—

22because all those men who have seen my glory and my signs, which I worked in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not listened to my voice;

23surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised me see it.

24But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land into which he went. His offspring shall possess it.

25Since the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

26The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel, which they complain against me.

28Tell them, ‘As I live, says the LORD, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you.

29Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me,

30surely you shall not come into the land concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31But I will bring in your little ones that you said should be captured or killed, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.

32But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

33Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies are consumed in the wilderness.

34After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.’

35I, the LORD, have spoken. I will surely do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”

36The men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation to murmur against him by bringing up an evil report against the land,

37even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.

39Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.

40They rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Behold, we are here, and will go up to the place which the LORD has promised; for we have sinned.”

41Moses said, “Why now do you disobey the commandment of the LORD, since it shall not prosper?

42Don’t go up, for the LORD isn’t amongst you; that way you won’t be struck down before your enemies.

43For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you will fall by the sword because you turned back from following the LORD; therefore the LORD will not be with you.”

44But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless, the ark of the LORD’s covenant and Moses didn’t depart out of the camp.

45Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down even to Hormah.

1Wherefore the whole multitude crying wept that night.

2And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying:

3Would God that we had died in Egypt and would God we may die in this vast wilderness, and that the Lord may not bring us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives and children be led away captives. Is it not better to return into Egypt?

4And they said one to another: Let us appoint a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

5And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell down flat upon the ground before the multitude of the children of Israel.

6But Josue the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephone, who themselves also had viewed the land, rent their garments,

7And said to all the multitude of the children of Israel: The land which we have gone round is very good:

8If the Lord be favourable, he will bring us into it, and give us a land flowing with milk and honey.

9Be not rebellious against the Lord: and fear ye not the people of this land, for we are able to eat them up as bread. All aid is gone from them: the Lord is with us, fear ye not.

10And when all the multitude cried out, and would have stoned them, the glory of the Lord appeared over the tabernacle of the covenant to all the children of Israel.

11And the Lord said to Moses: How long will this people detract me? how long will they not believe me for all the signs that I have wrought before them?

12I will strike them therefore with pestilence, and will consume them: but thee I will make a ruler over a great nation, and a mightier than this is.

13And Moses said to the Lord: That the Egyptians, from the midst of whom thou hast brought forth this people,

14And the inhabitants of this land, (who have heard that thou, O Lord, art among this people, and art seen face to face, and thy cloud protecteth them, and thou goest before them in a pillar of a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night,)

15May hear that thou hast killed so great a multitude as it were one man and may say:

16He could not bring the people into the land for which he had sworn, therefore did he kill them in the wilderness.

17Let their the strength of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast sworn, saying:

18The Lord is patient and full of mercy, taking away iniquity and wickedness, and leaving no man clear, who visitest the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

19Forgive, I beseech thee, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, as thou hast been merciful to them from their going out of Egypt unto this place.

20And the Lord said: I have forgiven according to thy word.

21As I live: and the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

22But yet all the men that have seen my majesty, and the signs that I have done in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now ten times, and have not obeyed my voice,

23Shall not see the land for which I aware to their fathers, neither shall any one of them that hath detracted me behold it.

24My servant Caleb, who being full of another spirit hath followed me, I will bring into this land which he hath gone round: and his seed shall possess it.

25For the Amalecite and the Chanaanite dwell in the valleys. Tomorrow remove the camp, and return into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

26And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

27How long doth this wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel.

28Say therefore to them: As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you.

29In the wilderness shall your carcasses lie. All you that were numbered from twenty years old and upward, and have murmured against me,

30Shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my bend to make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephone, and Josue the son of Nun.

31But your children, of whom you said, that they should be a prey to the enemies, will I bring in: that they may see the land which you have despised.

32Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

33Your children shall wander in the desert forty years, and shall bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers be consumed ill the desert,

34According to the number of the forty days, wherein you viewed the land: year shall be counted for a day. And forty years you shall receive your iniquities, and shall know my revenge:

35For as I have spoken, so will I do to all this wicked multitude, that hath risen up together against me: in this wilderness shall it faint away and die.

36Therefore all the men, whom Moses had sent to view the land, and who at their return had made the whole multitude to murmur against him, speaking ill of the land that it was naught,

37Died and were struck in the sight of the Lord.

38But Josue. the son of Nun. and Caleb the son of Jephone lived, of all them that had gone to view the land.

39And Moses spoke all these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.

40And behold rising up very early in the morning, they went up to the top of the mountain, and said: We are ready to go up to the place, of which the Lord hath spoken: for we have sinned.

41And Moses said to them: Why transgress you the word of the Lord, which shall not succeed prosperously with you?

42Go not up, for the Lord is not with you: lest you fall before your enemies.

43The Amalecite and the Chanaanite are before you, and by their sword you shall fall, because you would not consent to the Lord, neither will the Lord be with you.

44But they being blinded went up to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord and Moses departed not from the camp.

45And the Amalecite came down, and the Chanaanite that dwelt in the mountain: and smiting and slaying them pursued them as far as Horma.