Numbers 14
14
Murmurings
1And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7and they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. 10But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
11And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? 12I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
Moses' Intercession
13And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) 14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my LORD be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
God's Judgement
20And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. 22Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 24but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. 25(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
26And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 32But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 34After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 35I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, 37even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still. 39And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
Selfwilled People
40And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. 41And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. 42Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. 43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you. 44But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. 45Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
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Numbers 14: KJV
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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Learn More About King James VersionNumbers 14
14
The Israelites’ complaint
1The entire community raised their voice and the people wept that night. 2All the Israelites criticized Moses and Aaron. The entire community said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt or if only we had died in this desert! 3Why is the LORD bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our children will be taken by force. Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4So they said to each other, “Let’s pick a leader and let’s go back to Egypt.”
5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembled Israelite community. 6But Joshua, Nun’s son, and Caleb, Jephunneh’s son, from those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7and said to the entire Israelite community, “The land we crossed through to explore is an exceptionally good land. 8If the LORD is pleased with us, he’ll bring us into this land and give it to us. It’s a land that’s full of milk and honey. 9Only don’t rebel against the LORD and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are our prey.#14.9 Or our bread Their defense has deserted them, but the LORD is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.” 10But the entire community intended to stone them.
The LORD’s anger and Moses’ intercession
Then the LORD’s glory appeared in the meeting tent to all the Israelites. 11The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people disrespect me? And how long will they doubt me after all the signs that I performed among them? 12I’ll strike them down with a plague and disown them. Then I’ll make you into a great nation, stronger than they.”
13Moses said to the LORD, “The Egyptians will hear, for with your power you brought these people up from among them. 14They’ll tell the inhabitants of this land. They’ve heard that you, LORD, are with this people. You, LORD, appear to them face-to-face. Your cloud stands over them. You go before them in a column of cloud by day and in a column of lightning by night. 15If you kill these people, every last one of them, the nations who heard about you will say, 16‘The LORD wasn’t able to bring these people to the land that he solemnly promised to give them. So he slaughtered them in the desert.’ 17Now let my master’s power be as great as you declared when you said, 18‘The LORD is very patient and absolutely loyal, forgiving wrongs and disloyalty. Yet he doesn’t forgo all punishment, disciplining the grandchildren and great-grandchildren for their ancestors’ wrongs.’ 19Please forgive the wrongs of these people because of your absolute loyalty, just as you’ve forgiven these people from their time in Egypt until now.”
20Then the LORD said, “I will forgive as you requested. 21But as I live and as the LORD’s glory fills the entire earth, 22none of the men who saw my glory and the signs I did in Egypt and in the desert, but tested me these ten times and haven’t listened to my voice, 23will see the land I promised to their ancestors. All who disrespected me won’t see it. 24But I’ll bring my servant Caleb into the land that he explored, and his descendants will possess it because he has a different spirit, and he has remained true to me. 25Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valley, tomorrow turn and march into the desert by the route of the Reed Sea.”#14.25 Or Red Sea
The Israelites’ punishment
26The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron: 27How long will this wicked community complain against me? I’ve heard the Israelites’ dissent as they continue to complain against me. 28Say to them, “As I live,” says the LORD, “just as I’ve heard you say, so I’ll do to you. 29Your dead bodies will fall in this desert. None of you who were enlisted and were registered from 20 years old and above, who complained against me, 30will enter the land in which I promised#14.30 Or raised my hand to settle you, with the exception of Caleb, Jephunneh’s son, and Joshua, Nun’s son. 31But your children, whom you said would be taken by force, I’ll bring them in and they will know the land that you rejected. 32Your bodies, however, will fall in this desert, 33and your children will be shepherds in the desert for forty years. They will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies fall in the desert. 34For as many days as you explored the land, that is, forty days, just as many years you’ll bear your guilt, that is, forty years. This is how you will understand my frustration.” 35I the LORD have spoken. I will do this to the entire wicked community who gathered against me. They will die in this desert. There they’ll meet their end.
36The men whom Moses sent out to explore the land had returned and caused the entire community to complain against him by starting a rumor about the land. 37These men died by a plague in the LORD’s presence on account of their false rumor. 38But Joshua, Nun’s son, and Caleb, Jephunneh’s son, survived from those men who went to explore the land.
39Moses spoke these words to all the Israelites, and the people mourned bitterly. 40They rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain range, saying, “Let’s go up to the place the LORD told us to, for we have sinned.”
41But Moses said, “Why do you disobey the LORD’s command? It won’t succeed. 42Don’t go up, for the LORD isn’t with you. Don’t be struck down before your enemies. 43The Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you and you will fall by the sword because you turned away from the LORD, and the LORD is no longer with you.” 44Yet they recklessly#14.44 Heb uncertain ascended toward the top of the mountains, even though Moses and the LORD’s chest containing the covenant didn’t depart from the camp. 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites, who lived in those mountains, descended, struck them down, and beat them all the way to Hormah.
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