Numbers 14

¹Therfor al the cumpeny criede, and wepte in that nyyt,

²and alle the sones of Israel grutchiden ayens Moises and Aaron, and seiden,

³We wolden that we hadden be deed in Egipt, and not in this waast wildirnesse ; we wolden that we perischen, and that the Lord lede vs not in to this lond, lest we fallen bi swerd, and oure wyues and fre children ben led prisoneris; whether it is not betere to turne ayen in to Egipt?

⁴And thei seiden oon to another, Ordeyne we a duyk to vs, and turne we ayen in to Egipt.

⁵And whanne this was herd, Moises and Aaron felden lowe to erthe, bifor al the multitude of the sones of Israel.

⁶And sotheli Josue, the sone of Nun, and Caleph, the sone of Jephone, whiche also cumpassiden the lond, to renten her clothis,

⁷and spaken to al the multitude of the sones of Israel, The lond which we cumpassiden is ful good;

⁸if the Lord is merciful to vs, he schal lede vs in to it, and schal yyue `to vs the lond flowynge with mylk and hony.

⁹Nyle ye be rebel ayens the Lord, nether drede ye the puple of this lond, for we moun deuoure hem so as breed; al her help passide awei fro hem, the Lord is with vs, nyle ye drede.

¹⁰And whanne al the multitude criede, and wolde oppresse hem with stonys, the glorie of the Lord apperide on the roof of the boond of pees, while alle the sones of Israel sien.

¹¹And the Lord seide to Moises, Hou long schal this puple bacbite me? Hou longe schulen thei not bileue to me in alle `signes, whiche Y haue do bifor hem?

¹²Therfor Y schal smyte hem with pestilence, and Y schal waste hem; forsothe Y schal make thee prince on a greet folk, and strongere than is this.

¹³And Moises seide to the Lord, Egipcians `here not, fro whos myddil thou leddist out this puple,

¹⁴and the dwelleris of this loond, whiche herden that thou, Lord, art in this puple, and art seyn face to face, and that thi cloude defendith hem, and that thou goist bifore hem in a pilere of cloude bi dai,

¹⁵and in a piler of fier bi nyyt, that thou hast slayn so greet a multitude as o man,

¹⁶and seie thei, He myyte not brynge this puple in to the lond for whiche he swoor, therfor he killide hem in wildirnesse;

¹⁷therfor the strengthe of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast swore. And Moises seide,

¹⁸Lord pacient, and of myche mercy, doynge awei wickidnesse and trespassis, and leeuynge no man vngilti, which visitist the synnes of fadris in to sones in to the thridde and fourthe generacioun, Y biseche,

¹⁹foryyue thou the synne of this thi puple, aftir the greetnesse of thi merci, as thou were merciful to men goynge out of Egipt `til to this place.

²⁰And the Lord seide, Y haue foryouun to hem, bi thi word.

²¹Y lyue; and the glorie of the Lord schal be fillid in al erthe;

²²netheles alle men that sien my mageste, and my signes, whiche Y dide in Egipt and in the wildirnesse, and temptiden me now bi ten sithis, and obeieden not to my vois,

²³schulen not se the lond for which Y swore to her fadris, nethir ony of hem that bacbitide me, schal se it.

²⁴Y schal lede my seruaunt Caleph, that was ful of anothir spirit, and suede me, in to this lond, which he cumpasside, and his seed schal welde it.

²⁵For Amalech and Cananei dwellen in the valeis, to morewe moue ye tentis, and turne ye ayen in to wildirnesse bi the weie of the reed see.

²⁶And the Lord spak to Moises and to Aaron, and seide,

²⁷Hou long grutchith this werste multitude ayens me? Y haue herd the pleyntis of the sones of Israel.

²⁸Therfor seie thou to hem, Y lyue, seith the Lord; as ye spaken while Y herde, so Y schal do to you;

²⁹youre careyns schulen ligge in this wildirnesse. Alle ye that ben noumbrid, fro twenti yeer and aboue, and grutchiden ayens me,

³⁰schulen not entre in to the lond, on which Y reiside myn hond, that Y schulde make you to dwelle outakun Caleph, the sone of Jephone, and Josue, the sone of Nun.

³¹Forsothe Y schal lede in youre litle children, of whiche ye seiden that thei schulden be preyes `ethir raueyns to enemyes, that thei se the lond which displeside you.

³²Forsothe youre careyns schulen ligge in the wildirnesse;

³³youre sones schulen be walkeris aboute in the deseert bi fourti yeer, and thei schulen bere youre fornycacioun, til the careyns of the fadris ben wastid in the deseert,

³⁴by the noumbre of fourti daies, in whiche ye bihelden the loond; a yeer schal be arettid for a dai, and bi fourti yeer ye schulen resseyue youre wickidnesse, and ye schulen knowe my veniaunce.

³⁵For as Y spak, so Y schal do to al this werste multitude, that roos to gidere ayens me; it schal faile, and schal die in this wildirnesse.

³⁶Therfor alle the men whyche Moises hadde sent to see the lond, and whiche turniden ayen, and maden al the multitude to grutche ayens hym, and depraueden the lond, that it was yuel,

³⁷weren deed, and smytun in the siyt of the Lord.

³⁸Sotheli Josue, the sone of Nun, and Caleph, the sone of Jephone, lyueden, of alle men that yeden to se the lond.

³⁹And Moises spak alle these wordis to alle the sones of Israel, and the puple mourenyde gretli.

⁴⁰And, lo! thei riseden in the morewtid first, and `stieden in to the cop of the hil, and seiden, We ben redi to stie to the place, of which the Lord spak, for we synneden.

⁴¹To whiche Moises seide, Whi passen ye the word of the Lord, that schal not bifalle to you in to prosperite?

⁴²Nyle ye stie, for the Lord is not with you, lest ye fallen bifor youre enemyes.

⁴³Amalech and Cananei ben bifor you, bi the swerd of whiche ye schulen falle, for ye nolden assente to the Lord, nether the Lord schal be with you.

⁴⁴And thei weren maad derk, and stieden in to the cop of the hil; forsothe the ark of the testament of the Lord and Moises yeden not awey fro the tentis.

⁴⁵And Amalech cam doun, and Chananei, that dwelliden in the hil, and he smoot hem, and kittide doun, and pursuede hem til Horma.

Numbers 14

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.

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.

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.

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.