Numbers 14

¹And so, crying out, the entire crowd wept throughout that night.

²And all the sons of Israel were murmuring against Moses and Aaron, saying:

³“If only we had died in Egypt,” and, “If only we would perish in this vast wilderness,” and, “May the Lord not lead us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives, as well as our children, be led away as captives. Is it not better to return to Egypt?”

⁴And they said to one another, “Let us appoint our leader, and so return to Egypt.”

⁵And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell prone on the ground in the sight of the multitude of the sons of Israel.

⁶Yet truly, Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who themselves had also viewed the land, tore their garments,

⁷and they said to the entire multitude of the sons of Israel: “The land that we circled through is very good.

⁸If the Lord will be gracious to us, he will lead us into it, and he will give us the land flowing with milk and honey.

⁹Do not choose to be rebellious against the Lord. And do not fear the people of this land, for, like bread, so are we able to devour them. All protection has withdrawn from them. The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid.”

¹⁰And when the entire multitude cried out, and they wanted to crush them with stones, the glory of the Lord appeared, over the roof of the covenant, to all the sons of Israel.

¹¹And the Lord said to Moses: “How long will this people disparage me? How long will they refuse to believe me, despite all the signs that I have wrought before them?

¹²Therefore, I will strike them with a pestilence, and so I will consume them. But you I will make the ruler over a great nation, and one which is mightier than this one.”

¹³And Moses said to the Lord: “But then the Egyptians, from whose midst you led out this people,

¹⁴and the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that you, O Lord, are among this people, and that you are seen face to face, and that your cloud protects them, and that you go before them with a column of cloud by day, and a column of fire by night,

¹⁵may hear that you have killed so great a multitude, as if they were one man, and they may say:

¹⁶‘He was not able to lead the people into the land about which he had sworn. Therefore, he slew them in the wilderness.’

¹⁷Therefore, may the strength of the Lord be magnified, just as you swore, saying:

¹⁸‘The Lord is patient and full of mercy, taking away iniquity and wickedness, and forsaking no one who is harmless. He visits the sins of the fathers upon the sons, to the third and fourth generation.’

¹⁹Forgive, I beg you, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have been gracious to them in their journey from Egypt to this place.”

²⁰And the Lord said: “I have forgiven them according to your word.

²¹Also, as I live, the entire world shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

²²And yet, all the men who have seen my majesty, and the signs that I have wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and who have tested me ten times already, and yet have not obeyed my voice,

²³these shall not see the land, about which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who detracted me gaze upon it.

²⁴My servant Caleb, who, being full of another spirit, has followed me, I will lead into this land, through which he has wandered, and his offspring shall possess it.

²⁵For the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys. Tomorrow, move the camp and return into the wilderness, by the way of the Red Sea.”

²⁶And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

²⁷“How long will this very wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel.

²⁸Therefore, say to them: As I live, says the Lord, as you spoke in my hearing, so will I do to you.

²⁹In the wilderness, here shall your carcasses lie. All you who were numbered from twenty years and above, and who have murmured against me,

³⁰you shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my hand to cause you to live there, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

³¹But your little ones, about whom you said that they would be a prey to the enemies, I will lead them in, so that they may see the land that has displeased you.

³²Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

³³Your sons shall wander in the desert for forty years, and they shall bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers are consumed in the desert.

³⁴According to the number of the forty days, during which you examined the land, one year shall be charged for each day. And so, for forty years you shall take back your iniquities, and you shall know my retribution.

³⁵For just as I have spoken, so shall I do, to this entire most wicked multitude, which has risen up together against me. In the wilderness, here shall it fade away and die.”

³⁶Therefore, all the men, whom Moses had sent to contemplate the land, and who, having returned, had caused the entire multitude to murmur against him, disparaging the land as if it were evil,

³⁷suffered death and were struck down in the sight of the Lord.

³⁸But only Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, out of all those who had journeyed to examine the land.

³⁹And Moses spoke all these words to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.

⁴⁰And behold, rising up at first light, they climbed to the top of the mountain, and they said, “We are prepared to ascend to the place, about which the Lord has spoken, for we have sinned.”

⁴¹And Moses said to them: “Why do you transgress the word of the Lord, merely because it will not result in prosperity for you?

⁴²Do not ascend, for the Lord is not with you, lest you be overthrown before your enemies.

⁴³The Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, by whose sword you shall be ruined, for you were not willing to consent to the Lord, and so the Lord is not with you.”

⁴⁴But they, having been darkened, ascended to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord, and Moses, did not withdraw from the camp.

⁴⁵And the Amalekites descended, along with those Canaanites who were living in the mountains. And so, striking and cutting them down, they pursued them all the way to Hormah.

Numbers 14

¹Therefore the whole multitude crying wept that night.

²And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying:

³Would God that we had died in Egypt: and would God we may die in this vast wilderness, and that the Lord may not bring us into this land, lest we fall by the sword, and our wives and children be led away captives. Is it not better to return into Egypt?

⁴And they said one to another: Let us appoint a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

⁵And when Moses and Aaron heard this, they fell down flat upon the ground before the multitude of the children of Israel.

⁶But Josue the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephone, who themselves also had viewed the land, rent their garments,

⁷And said to all the multitude of the children of Israel: The land which we have gone round is very good:

⁸If the Lord be favourable, he will bring us into it, and give us a land flowing with milk and honey.

⁹Be not rebellious against the Lord: and fear ye not the people of this land, for we are able to eat them up as bread. All aid is gone from them: the Lord is with us, fear ye not.

¹⁰And when all the multitude cried out, and would have stoned them, the glory of the Lord appeared over the tabernacle of the covenant to all the children of Israel.

¹¹And the Lord said to Moses: How long will this people detract me? how long will they not believe me for all the signs that I have wrought before them?

¹²I will strike them therefore with pestilence, and will consume them: but thee I will make a ruler over a great nation, and a mightier than this is.

¹³And Moses said to the Lord: That the Egyptians, from the midst of whom thou hast brought forth this people,

¹⁴And the inhabitants of this land, (who have heard that thou, O Lord, art among this people, and art seen face to face, and thy cloud protecteth them, and thou goest before them in a pillar of a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night,)

¹⁵May hear that thou hast killed so great a multitude as it were one man and may say:

¹⁶He could not bring the people into the land for which he had sworn, therefore did he kill them in the wilderness.

¹⁷Let then the strength of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast sworn, saying:

¹⁸The Lord is patient and full of mercy, by taking away iniquity and wickedness, and leaving no man clear, who visitest the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

¹⁹Forgive, I beseech thee, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, as thou hast been merciful to them from their going out of Egypt unto this place.

²⁰And the Lord said: I have forgiven according to thy word.

²¹As I live: and the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

²²But yet all the men that have seen my majesty, and the signs that I have done in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now ten times, and have not obeyed my voice,

²³Shall not see the land for which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any one of them that hath detracted me behold it.

²⁴My servant Caleb, who being full of another spirit hath followed me, I will bring into this land which he hath gone round: and his seed shall possess it.

²⁵For the Amalecite and the Chanaanite dwell in the valleys. To morrow remove the camp, and return into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.

²⁶And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

²⁷How long doth this wicked multitude murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel.

²⁸Say therefore to them: As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you.

²⁹In the wilderness shall your carcasses lie. All you that were numbered from twenty years old and upward, and have murmured against me,

³⁰Shall not enter into the land, over which I lifted up my hand to make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephone, and Josue the son of Nun.

³¹But your children, of whom you said, that they should be a prey to the enemies, will I bring in: that they may see the land which you have despised.

³²Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness.

³³Your children shall wander in the desert forty years, and shall bear your fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers be consumed in the desert,

³⁴According to the number of the forty days, wherein you viewed the land: a year shall be counted for a day. And forty years you shall receive your iniquities, and shall know my revenge:

³⁵For as I have spoken, so will I do to all this wicked multitude, that hath risen up together against me: in this wilderness shall it faint away and die.

³⁶Therefore all the men, whom Moses had sent to view the land, and who at their return had made the whole multitude to murmur against him, speaking ill of the land that it was naught,

³⁷Died and were struck in the sight of the Lord.

³⁸But Josue the son of Nun, and Caleb had gone to view the land.

³⁹And Moses spoke all these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned exceedingly.

⁴⁰And behold rising up very early in the morning, they went up to the top of the mountain, and said: We are ready to go up to the place, of which the Lord hath spoken: for we have sinned.

⁴¹And Moses said to them: Why transgress you the word of the Lord, which shall not succeed prosperously with you?

⁴²Go not up, for the Lord is not with you: lest you fall before your enemies.

⁴³The Amalecite and the Chanaanite are before you, and by their sword you shall fall, because you would not consent to the Lord, neither will the Lord be with you.

⁴⁴But they being blinded went up to the top of the mountain. But the ark of the testament of the Lord and Moses departed not from the camp.

⁴⁵And the Amalecite came down, and the Chanaanite that dwelt in the mountain: and smiting and slaying them pursued them as far as Horma.