1 Then the entire assembly raised their voices and cried, and the people wept throughout that night.

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole community said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt or in this wilderness!

And 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!

3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?

And 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?

4 And they said to each other, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.

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

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the entire assembly of the Israelite community.

Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes.

And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

7 And they said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.

And 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.

8 If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land flowing with milk and honey.

If 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.

9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection is gone, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.

Only 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.

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites.

But 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.

11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, despite all the signs I have performed among them?

And 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?

12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, and I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.

I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

13 But Moses said to the LORD, "The Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.

And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)

14 They will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, LORD, are among these people, that you, LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

And 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.

15 If you put all these people to death as one man, the nations who have heard about your fame will say,

Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

16 'The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.'

Because 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.

17 Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared:

And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

18 'The LORD is slow to anger, abundant in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion; yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' iniquity upon the children to the third and fourth generation.'

The 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.

19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven them from Egypt until now.

Pardon, 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.

20 The LORD replied, 'I have forgiven them, as you asked.'

And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth,

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

22 none of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times,

Because 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;

23 not one of them will see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has spurned me will see it.

Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

But 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 The Amalekites and Canaanites are dwelling in the valley. Tomorrow, turn around and set out toward the wilderness along the way of the Red Sea.

(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.

26 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:

And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

27 How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites, who are murmuring against me.

How 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.

28 Say to them: 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say in my hearing.'

Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

29 In this wilderness, your dead bodies will fall—every one of you who was numbered in the census, twenty years old or more, who grumbled against me.

Your 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,

30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore by uplifted hand to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Doubtless 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.

31 But your children, whom you said would be plunder, I will bring them in to know the land that you have rejected.

But 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.

32 As for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness.

But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

33 Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, bearing the consequences of your unfaithfulness, until your corpses are consumed in the wilderness.

And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

34 For forty days you explored the land; now, for each day, you will bear your guilt for a year—forty years—and you will know my opposition.

After 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.

35 I, the LORD, have spoken. I will surely do this to this entire wicked community who conspired against me; they will meet their end in this wilderness, and here they will die.

I 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.

36 The men whom Moses had sent to explore the land, and who returned and caused the whole assembly to complain by spreading a bad report about the land—

And 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,

37 those men who spread the bad report about the land were struck down by a plague before the LORD.

Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, survived.

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

39 When Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned greatly.

And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

40 Early the next morning they set out toward the top of the hill and said, 'Here we are! We are ready to go up to the place the LORD promised, for we have sinned.'

And 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.

41 But Moses said, 'Why are you disobeying the LORD's command? This will not succeed.

And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.

42 Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you; you will be defeated by your enemies.'

Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.

43 For the Amalekites and Canaanites are there to confront you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you.

For 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.

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption, they went up toward the top of the hill, but neither the ark of the LORD's covenant nor Moses moved from the camp.

But 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.

45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah.

Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.