Numbers 14
14
1And the whole assembly 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 assembly said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or in this wilderness would that we had died! 3And why is Jehovah bringing us to this land that we may fall by the sword, that our wives and our little ones may become a prey? Is it not better for us to return to Egypt? 4And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return to Egypt.
5Then Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the whole congregation of the assembly of the children of Israel. 6And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of them that searched out the land, rent their garments. 7And they spoke to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it out, is a very, very good land. 8If Jehovah delight in us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us, a land that flows with milk and honey; 9only rebel not against Jehovah; and fear not the people of the land; for they shall be our food. Their defence is departed from them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not. 10And the whole assembly said that they should be stoned with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting to all the children of Israel.
11And Jehovah said to Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe me, for all the signs which I have done among them? 12I will smite them with the pestilence, and destroy them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they. 13And Moses said to Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for in thy might thou broughtest up this people from the midst of them; 14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that thou, Jehovah, art in the midst of this people, that thou, Jehovah, lettest thyself be seen eye to eye, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night; 15if thou now slayest this people as one man, then the nations that have heard thy fame will speak, saying, 16Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land that he had sworn unto them, he has therefore slain them in the wilderness. 17And now, I beseech thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in goodness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth generation. 19Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy loving-kindness, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word. 21But as surely as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah! 22for all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice, 23shall in no wise see the land which I did swear unto their fathers: none of them that despised me shall see it. 24But my servant Caleb, because he hath another spirit in him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he came; and his seed shall possess it. 25(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley.) To-morrow turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness, on the way to the Red sea. 26And Jehovah spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27How long shall I bear with this evil assembly, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28Say unto them, As surely as I live, saith Jehovah, if I do not do unto you as ye have spoken in mine ears! 29In this wilderness shall your carcases fall; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number from twenty years old and upwards, who have murmured against me, 30shall in no wise come into the land, concerning which I have lifted up my hand to make you dwell in it; save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31But your little ones, of whom ye said they should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land that ye have despised. 32And as to you, your carcases 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 have searched out the land, forty days, each day for a year shall ye bear your iniquities forty years, and ye shall know mine estrangement from you. 35I Jehovah have spoken; I will surely do it unto all this evil assembly which have gathered together against me! in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
36And the men whom Moses had sent to search out the land, who returned, and made the whole assembly to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report upon the land, 37even those men who had brought up an evil report upon the land, died by a plague before Jehovah. 38But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, lived still of the men that had gone to search out the land. 39And Moses told all these sayings to all the children of Israel; then the people mourned greatly. 40And they rose up early in the morning, and went up to the hill-top, saying, Here are we, and we will go up to the place of which Jehovah has spoken; for we have sinned. 41And Moses said, Why now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah? but it shall not prosper! 42Go not up, for Jehovah 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; for as ye have turned away from Jehovah, Jehovah will not be with you. 44Yet they presumed to go up to the hill-top; but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, did not depart from the midst of the camp. 45And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt on that hill, came down and smote them, and cut them to pieces, as far as Hormah.
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Numbers 14: DARBY
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
B'midbar (Num) 14
14
1At this all the people of Isra’el cried out in dismay and wept all night long. 2Moreover, all the people of Isra’el began grumbling against Moshe and Aharon; the whole community told them, “We wish we had died in the land of Egypt! or that we had died here in the desert! 3Why is Adonai bringing us to this land, where we will die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be taken as booty! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4And they said to each other, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”
5Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before the entire assembled community of the people of Isra’el. 6Y’hoshua the son of Nun and Kalev the son of Y’funeh, from the detachment that had reconnoitered the land, tore their clothes 7and said to the whole community of Isra’el, “The land we passed through in order to spy it out is an outstandingly good land! (iii) 8If Adonai is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us — a land flowing with milk and honey. 9Just don’t rebel against Adonai. And don’t be afraid of the people living in the land — we’ll eat them up! Their defense has been taken away from them, and Adonai is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
10But just as the whole community were saying they should be stoned to death, the glory of Adonai appeared in the tent of meeting to all the people of Isra’el. 11Adonai said to Moshe, “How much longer is this people going to treat me with contempt? How much longer will they not trust me, especially considering all the signs I have performed among them? 12I am going to strike them with sickness, destroy them and make from you a nation greater and stronger than they are!”
13However, Moshe replied to Adonai, “When the Egyptians hear about this — [and they will,] because it was from among them that you, by your strength, brought this people up — 14they will tell the people living in this land. They have heard that you, Adonai, are with this people; that you, Adonai, are seen face to face; that your cloud stands over them; that you go ahead of them in a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night. 15If you kill off this people at a single stroke, then the nations that have heard of your reputation will say 16that the reason Adonai slaughtered this people in the desert is that he wasn’t able to bring them into the land which he swore to give them. 17So now, please, let Adonai’s power be as great as when you said, 18‘Adonai is slow to anger, rich in grace, forgiving offenses and crimes; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and even by the third and fourth generations.’ 19Please! Forgive the offense of this people according to the greatness of your grace, just as you have borne with this people from Egypt until now.”
20Adonai answered, “I have forgiven, as you have asked. 21But as sure as I live, and that the whole earth is filled with the glory of Adonai, 22none of the people who saw my glory and the signs I did in Egypt and in the desert, yet tested me these ten times and did not listen to my voice, 23will see the land I swore to their ancestors! None of those who treated me with contempt will see it. 24But my servant Kalev, because he had a different Spirit with him and has fully followed me — him I will bring into the land he entered, and it will belong to his descendants.
25“Now, since the ‘Amaleki and the Kena‘ani are living in the valley, tomorrow turn around and get yourselves into the desert along the way to the Sea of Suf.”
(iv) 26Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 27“How long am I to put up with this evil community who keep grumbling about me? I have heard the complaints of the people of Isra’el, which they continue to raise against me. 28Tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, Adonai swears, as surely as you have spoken in my ears, I will do this to you: 29your carcasses will fall in this desert! Every single one of you who were included in the census over the age of twenty, you who have complained against me, 30will certainly not enter the land about which I raised my hand to swear that I would have you live in it — except for Kalev the son of Y’funeh and Y’hoshua the son of Nun. 31But your little ones, who you said would be taken as booty — them I will bring in. They will know the land you have rejected. 32But you, your carcasses will fall in this desert; 33and your children will wander about in the desert for forty years bearing the consequences of your prostitutions until the desert eats up your carcasses. 34It will be a year for every day you spent reconnoitering the land that you will bear the consequences of your offenses — forty days, forty years. Then you will know what it means to oppose me! 35I, Adonai, have spoken.’ I will certainly do this to this whole evil community who have assembled together against me — they will be destroyed in this desert and die there.”
36The men whom Moshe had sent to reconnoiter the land and who, when they returned, made the entire community complain against him by giving an unfavorable report about the land — 37those men who gave the unfavorable report about the land died by the plague in the presence of Adonai. 38Of the men who went to reconnoiter the land, only Y’hoshua the son of Nun and Kalev the son of Y’funeh remained alive.
39When Moshe told these things to all the people of Isra’el, the people felt great remorse. 40They arose early the next morning, came up to the top of the mountain and said, “Here we are, and we did sin, but now we’ll go up to the place Adonai promised.” 41Moshe answered, “Why are you opposing what Adonai said? You won’t succeed! 42Don’t go up there, because Adonai isn’t with you. If you do, your enemies will defeat you. 43The ‘Amalekim and the Kena‘anim are there ahead of you, and you will be struck down by the sword. The reason will be that you have turned away from following Adonai, so that Adonai won’t be with you.”
44But they were presumptuous and went on up toward the high parts of the hill-country, even though the ark for the covenant of Adonai — and Moshe — stayed in the camp. 45So the ‘Amalekim and the Kena‘anim living in that hill-country descended, struck them down and beat them back all the way to Hormah.
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