1Then did all the assembly lift up, and give forth their voice,—and the people wept throughout that night. 2And all the sons of Israel, murmured against Moses and against Aaron,—and all the assembly said unto them—Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or, in this wilderness, oh that we had died! 3Wherefore, then, is Yahweh bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones, will become a prey! Would it not be well for us to go back towards Egypt? 4And they said, one to another,—Let us appoint a head, and let us go back towards Egypt.

5Then did Moses and Aaron fall upon their faces,—before all the convocation of the assembly of the sons of Israel. 6But, Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of them who spied out the land, rent their clothes; 7and spake unto all the assembly of the sons of Israel, saying,—As for the land through which we passed to spy it out, Good, is the land, exceedingly. 8If Yahweh delight in us, then will he bring us into this land, and give it unto us,—A land which doth flow with milk and honey. 9Only, against Yahweh, do not rebel. Do not, ye, fear the people of the land, For, our food, they are,—Their shade hath departed from over them, And Yahweh is with us, Do not fear them! 10But, when all the assembly bade stone them, with stones, the glory of Yahweh, appeared, in the tent of meeting, unto all the sons of Israel.

11Then said Yahweh unto Moses, How long must this people, despise me? And, how long can they not believe in me, in view of all the signs which I have done in their midst? 12Let me smite them with pestilence, and disinherit them,—And make thee, into a nation greater and more mighty than they! 13Then said Moses unto Yahweh,—So shall the Egyptians hear, For thou hast brought up, in thy might, this people, out of their midst; 14And will tell it unto the inhabitants of this land: They have heard, That, thou, Yahweh, art in the midst of this people,—That, eye to eye, is he seen—thou, Yahweh. And, thy cloud, is standing over them, And, in a pillar of cloud, thou thyself, art going on before them by day, And, in a pillar of fire, by night. 15As soon, therefore, as thou hast put to death this people, as one man, so soon will the nations who have heard thy fame speak, saying: 16Because Yahweh, was not able, to bring in this people into the land which he had sworn unto them, therefore did he slay them in the desert. 17Now, therefore, I beseech thee, let the might of My Lord, be magnified,—according as thou didst speak, saying: 18Yahweh—slow to anger and great in lovingkindness, Forgiving iniquity and transgression: Though he will not leave, wholly unpunished, Visiting the iniquity of fathers upon sons, Upon a third generation, and upon a fourth. 19Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, According to the greatness of thy lovingkindness,—And according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt, even thus far.

20And Yahweh said, I have pardoned, according to thy word; 21Nevertheless, as I, live,—and that all the earth may be filled with the glory of Yahweh, 22Verily, none of the men who have been beholding my glory and my signs, which I have done in Egypt, and in the desert,—and have put me to the proof these ten times, and have not hearkened unto my voice, 23shall see the land, which I sware to their fathers,—yea, none of my despisers, shall see it. 24But, my servant Caleb—because there was another spirit with him, and he followed me fully, therefore will I bring him into the land whereinto he entered, and, his seed, shall possess it. 25Now, the Amalekites and the Canaanites, are dwelling in the valley,—tomorrow, turn ye away; and set yourselves forward towards the desert, by the way of the Red Sea. 26Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 27How long, as regardeth this evil assembly, are, they, to be murmuring against me? The murmuring of the sons of Israel, which, they, have been murmuring against me, have I heard. 28Say unto them: As I live, is the oracle of Yahweh: Surely, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so, will I do unto you:— 29In this desert, shall your dead bodies fall, And, none of you who were numbered, in all your counting, from twenty years old and upwards,—who have murmured against me, 30none of you, shall enter into the land, as to which I uplifted my hand, to give you an abode therein,—save Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun: 31whereas, your little ones, of whom ye said, they should become, a prey, I will bring them in, and they shall acknowledge the land which ye refused. 32But, your own dead bodies, shall fall in this desert; 33and, your sons, shall be shepherds in the desert forty years, and shall bear your unchastities,—until your dead bodies are consumed in the desert. 34By the number of the days, wherein ye spied out the land—forty days, each day for a year, shall they bear your iniquities—forty years,—so shall ye know my opposition. 35I—Yahweh, have spoken, Verily, this, will I do to all this evil assembly, who have conspired against me,—In this desert, shall they be consumed, And, there, shall they die.

36Now, as for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land,—who returned and caused all the assembly to murmur against him, by giving out a rumour against the land, 37they died—the men who gave out an evil rumor of the land,—by the plague, before Yahweh. 38But, Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, remained alive—of those men who went to spy out the land. 39And Moses spake these words unto all the sons of Israel,—and the people were greatly depressed. 40So they arose early in the morning, and went up into the top of the mountain, saying,—We are here—therefore will we go up into the place as to which Yahweh hath said, that we have sinned. 41But Moses said, Wherefore is it that, ye, are going beyond the bidding of Yahweh,—since, that, cannot prosper? 42Do not go up, For Yahweh is not in your midst,—Lest ye be smitten down before your enemies. 43For, the Amalekites and the Canaanites, are there before you, So shall ye fall by the sword,—For, inasmuch as ye have turned back from following Yahweh, Therefore will Yahweh not be with you. 44But they presumptuously ascended into the top of the mountain,—though, neither the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, nor Moses, moved out of the midst of the camp. 45So ten the Amalekites and the Canaanites, that dwelt in that mountain, came down,—and smote them and routed them, even unto Hormah.