| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. | 1Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. |
| 2And all the children of Israel complained 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! | 2All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! |
| 3Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” | 3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" |
| 4So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” | 4So they said to one another, "Let's appoint a leader and go back to Egypt." |
| 5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. | 5Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces to the ground in front of the whole assembly of the Israelite community. |
| 6But 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 scouted out the land, tore their clothes |
| 7and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. | 7and said to the entire Israelite community: "The land we passed through and explored is an extremely 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.’ | 8If the LORD is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. |
| 9Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.” | 9Only don't rebel against the LORD, and don't be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us. Don't be afraid of them!" |
| 10And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. | 10While the whole community threatened to stone them, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting. |
| 11Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? | 11The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people despise Me? How long will they not trust 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. Then I will make you into a greater and mightier nation than they are." |
| 13And Moses said to the LORD: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, | 13But Moses replied to the LORD, "The Egyptians will hear about it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from them. |
| 14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. | 14They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people, how You, LORD, are seen face to face, how Your cloud stands over them, and how You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. |
| 15Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, | 15If You kill this people with a single blow, the nations that have heard of Your fame will declare, |
| 16‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ | 16Since the LORD wasn't able to bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.'" |
| 17And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, | 17So now, may my Lord's power be magnified just as You have spoken: |
| 18‘The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ | 18The LORD is slow to anger and rich in faithful love, forgiving wrongdoing and rebellion. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' wrongdoing on the children to the third and fourth generation. |
| 19Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” | 19Please pardon the wrongdoing of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your faithful love, just as You have forgiven them from Egypt until now." |
| 20Then the LORD said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; | 20The LORD responded, "I have pardoned them as you requested. |
| 21but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD— | 21Yet as surely as I live and as the whole earth is filled with the LORD's glory, |
| 22because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, | 22none of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tested Me these 10 times and did not obey Me, |
| 23they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. | 23will ever see the land I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have despised Me will see it. |
| 24But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. | 24But since My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me completely, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his descendants will inherit it. |
| 25Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.” | 25Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the lowlands, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea." |
| 26And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, | 26Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron: " |
| 27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. | 27How long must I endure this evil community that keeps complaining about Me? I have heard the Israelites' complaints that they make against Me. |
| 28Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: | 28Tell them: As surely as I live," this is the LORD's declaration, "I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. |
| 29The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. | 29Your corpses will fall in this wilderness--all of you who were registered in the census, the entire number of you 20 years old or more--because you have complained about Me. |
| 30Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. | 30I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. |
| 31But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. | 31I will bring your children whom you said would become plunder into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it. |
| 32But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. | 32But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. |
| 33And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. | 33Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for 40 years and bear the penalty for your acts of unfaithfulness until all your corpses lie scattered in the wilderness. |
| 34According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. | 34You will bear the consequences of your sins 40 years based on the number of the 40 days that you scouted the land, a year for each day. You will know My displeasure. |
| 35I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ” | 35I, Yahweh, have spoken. I swear that I will do this to the entire evil community that has conspired against Me. They will come to an end in the wilderness, and there they will die." |
| 36Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, | 36So the men Moses sent to scout out the land, and who returned and incited the entire community to complain about him by spreading a negative report about the land-- |
| 37those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. | 37those men who spread the negative report about the land were struck down by the LORD. |
| 38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land. | 38Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to scout out the land. |
| 39Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. | 39When Moses reported these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome with grief. |
| 40And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!” | 40They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, "Let's go to the place the LORD promised, for we were wrong." |
| 41And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. | 41But Moses responded, "Why are you going against the LORD's command? It won't succeed. |
| 42Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. | 42Don't go, because the LORD is not among you and you will be defeated by your enemies. |
| 43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” | 43The Amalekites and Canaanites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The LORD won't be with you, since you have turned from following Him." |
| 44But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. | 44But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill country, even though the ark of the LORD's covenant and Moses did not leave the camp. |
| 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah. | 45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah. |
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