English Standard Version

Berean Study Bible

1Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.

1Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept.

2And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!

2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!

3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

4And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

4So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”

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

5Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.

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

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

7and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.

7and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land.

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

8If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us.

9Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.”

9Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!”

10Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

10But the whole congregation threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting.

11And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

11And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them?

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

12I will strike them with a plague and destroy them—and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are.”

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

13But Moses said to the LORD, “The Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people from among them.

14and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O 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.

14And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have already heard that You, O LORD, are in the midst of this people, that You, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that Your cloud stands over them, and that You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

15Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say,

15If You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard of Your fame will say,

16‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’

16‘Because the LORD was unable to bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.’

17And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,

17So now I pray, may the power of my Lord be magnified, just as You have declared:

18‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

18‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’

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

19Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

20Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.

20“I have pardoned them as you requested,” the LORD replied.

21But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD,

21“Yet as surely as I live and as surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD,

22none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,

22not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times—

23shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.

23not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it.

24But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.

24But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.

25Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

25Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”

26And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

26Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

27“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.

27“How long will this wicked congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that the Israelites are making against Me.

28Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:

28So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.

29your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me,

29Your bodies will fall in this wilderness—all who were numbered in the census, everyone twenty years of age or older—because you have grumbled against Me.

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

30Surely none of you will enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

31But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.

31But I will bring your children, whom you said would become plunder, into the land you have rejected—and they will enjoy it.

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

32As for you, however, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.

33And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.

33Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness.

34According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’

34In keeping with the forty days you spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt forty years—a year for each day—and you will experience My alienation.

35I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

35I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this entire wicked congregation, which has conspired against Me. They will meet their end in the wilderness, and there they will die.”

36And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land—

36So the men Moses had sent to spy out the land, who had returned and made the whole congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report about the land—

37the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD.

37those men who had brought out the bad report about the land—were struck down by a plague before the LORD.

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

38Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.

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

39And when Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.

40And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned.”

40Early the next morning they got up and went up toward the ridge of the hill country. “We have indeed sinned,” they said, “but we will go to the place the LORD has promised.”

41But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the LORD, when that will not succeed?

41But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!

42Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies.

42Do not go up, lest you be struck down by your enemies, because the LORD is not among you.

43For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.”

43For there the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you.”

44But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp.

44But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of the LORD moved from the camp.

45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.

45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them all the way to Hormah.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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