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Numbers 11-14
New American Standard Bible

The People Complain

11 Now the people became like (A)those who complain of adversity (B)in the ears of the Lord; and the Lord heard them and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp. 2 (C)The people then cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire [a]died out. 3 So that place was named [b](D)Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

4 Now the (E)rabble who were among them [c]had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, “(F)Who will give us [d]meat to eat? 5 (G)We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now (H)our [e]appetite is gone. There is nothing at all [f]to look at except this manna!”

7 (I)Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of [g](J)bdellium. 8 The people would roam about and gather it and grind it [h]between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of [i]cake baked with oil. 9 (K)When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down [j]with it.

The Complaint of Moses

10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the Lord became very hot, and [k]Moses was displeased. 11 (L)So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You [l]been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them [m]in your arms, as a [n](M)nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which (N)You swore to their fathers’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to (O)all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’ 14 (P)I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too [o]burdensome for me. 15 (Q)So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.”

Seventy Elders to Assist Moses

16 The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me (R)seventy men from the elders of Israel, (S)whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their stand there with you. 17 (T)Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of (U)the Spirit who is upon you, and put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it by yourself. 18 And you shall say to the people, ‘(V)Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept (W)in the ears of the Lord, saying, “[p]Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 [q]but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nose and [r]makes you nauseated; because (X)you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am included, are six hundred thousand on foot! Yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 Are flocks and herds to be slaughtered for them, so that it will be sufficient for them? Or are all the fish of the sea to be [s]caught for them, so that it will be sufficient for them?” 23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Is (Y)the Lord’s [t]power too little? Now you shall see whether (Z)My word will [u]come true for you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and (AA)told the people the words of the Lord. He also gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and positioned them around the tent. 25 (AB)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.

26 But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the [v]other, Medad. And (AC)the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. 27 So a young man ran and informed Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Then (AD)Joshua the son of Nun, the personal servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said, “(AE)My lord Moses, restrain them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? (AF)If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 Then Moses [w]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

31 (AG)Now a wind burst forth from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and dropped them beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side all around the camp, and about [x]two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. 32 And the people [y]spent all that day, all night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered [z]ten (AH)homers) and spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 (AI)While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. 34 So that place was named [aa](AJ)Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah (AK)the people set out for Hazeroth, and they [ab]remained at Hazeroth.

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a (AL)Cushite woman); 2 (AM)and they said, “Is it a fact that the Lord has spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard this. 3 (Now the man Moses was (AN)very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth.) 4 And the Lord suddenly said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “You three go out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 (AO)Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent; and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, 6 He said,

“Now hear My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, will make Myself known to him in a (AP)vision.
I will speak with him in a (AQ)dream.
7 It is not this way for (AR)My servant Moses;
(AS)He is faithful in all My household;
8 (AT)With him I speak mouth to mouth,
That is, openly, and not [ac]using [ad]mysterious language,
And he beholds (AU)the form of the Lord.
So why were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

9 And the anger of the Lord burned against them and (AV)He departed. 10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from above the tent, behold, (AW)Miriam was leprous, as (AX)white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11 Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, (AY)do not [ae]hold us responsible for this sin by which we have turned out to be foolish, and by which we have sinned. 12 Oh, do not let her be like a dead person, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” 13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “God, (AZ)heal her, please!” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had only (BA)spit in her face, would she not be put to shame for seven days? Have her shut (BB)outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” 15 So (BC)Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

16 Afterward, however, the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Spies View the Land

13 Then (BD)the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “(BE)Send out men for yourself to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the [af]command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. 4 These then were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, (BF)Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, (BG)Hoshea the son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land; but Moses called (BH)Hoshea the son of Nun, [ag]Joshua.

17 When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into (BI)the [ah]Negev; then go up into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many. 19 And how is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are the people in open camps or in fortifications? 20 And (BJ)how is the land, is it [ai]productive or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? And (BK)show yourselves courageous and get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land from (BL)the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, [aj](BM)at Lebo-hamath. 22 When they had gone up into (BN)the Negev, [ak]they came to Hebron where (BO)Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the [al]descendants of (BP)Anak were. (Hebron was built seven years before (BQ)Zoan in Egypt.)

23 Then they came to the [am]Valley of [an](BR)Eshcol, and from there they cut off a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of [ao]Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut off from there.

The Spies’ Reports

25 When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, 26 they went on and came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, [ap]in the wilderness of Paran at (BS)Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 So they reported to him and said, “We came into the land where you sent us, and (BT)it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and (BU)this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless, (BV)the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And indeed, we saw (BW)the [aq]descendants of Anak there! 29 Amalek is living in the land of (BX)the Negev, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and (BY)the Amorites are living in the hill country, and (BZ)the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

30 Then Caleb quieted the people [ar]before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will certainly prevail over it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “(CA)We are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us.” 32 So they brought (CB)a bad report of the land which they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to spy out is (CC)a land that devours its inhabitants; and (CD)all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature. 33 We also saw the [as](CE)Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and (CF)we were like [at]grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation [au]raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept [av]that night. 2 And all the sons of Israel (CG)grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “(CH)If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! 3 So why is the Lord bringing us into this land (CI)to fall by the sword? (CJ)Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “(CK)Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

5 (CL)Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “(CM)The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 (CN)If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—(CO)a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 Only (CP)do not rebel against the Lord; and do not (CQ)fear the people of the land, for they will be our [aw]prey. Their [ax]protection is gone from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 (CR)But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then (CS)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Moses Pleads for the People

11 (CT)And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will (CU)they not [ay]believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? 12 I will strike them with [az](CV)plague and dispossess them, and I (CW)will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13 (CX)But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people up from their midst, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are in the midst of this people, because (CY)You, Lord, are seen eye to eye, while Your cloud stands over them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You put this people to death [ba]all at once, (CZ)then the nations who have heard of Your fame will [bb]say, 16 ‘Since the Lord (DA)could not bring this people into the land which He promised them by oath, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17 So now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, saying, 18 ‘(DB)The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving wrongdoing and violation of His Law; but (DC)He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, (DD)inflicting the [bc]punishment of the fathers on the children [bd]to the third and the fourth generations.’ 19 Please (DE)forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

The Lord Pardons and Rebukes

20 So the Lord said, “(DF)I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; 21 however, (DG)as I live, [be](DH)all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. 22 Certainly (DI)all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet (DJ)have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, 23 (DK)shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it. 24 But as for My servant Caleb, (DL)because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, (DM)I will bring him into the land which he [bf]entered, and his [bg]descendants shall take possession of it. 25 (DN)Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys; turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way of the [bh]Red Sea.”

26 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying, 27 “How long shall I put up with this evil congregation who are (DO)grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are [bi]voicing against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘(DP)As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as (DQ)you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; 29 (DR)your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all (DS)your [bj]numbered men according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30 By no means will you come into the land where I [bk]swore to settle you, (DT)except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 (DU)Your children, however, whom you said would become plunder—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 32 (DV)But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for (DW)forty years, and they will [bl]suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. 34 In accordance with the (DX)number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your [bm]guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. 35 (DY)I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.’”

36 (DZ)As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who returned and led all the congregation to grumble against him by bringing a bad report about the land, 37 (EA)those men who brought the bad report of the land also died by a (EB)plague in the presence of the Lord. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

Israel Repulsed

39 Now when Moses spoke (EC)these words to all the sons of Israel, (ED)the people mourned greatly. 40 In the morning, however, they got up early and went up to the [bn]ridge of the hill country, saying, “(EE)Here we are; and we will go up to the place which the Lord has [bo]promised, for [bp]we have sinned.” 41 But Moses said, “(EF)Why then are you (EG)violating the [bq]command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed? 42 (EH)Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, [br]to prevent you from being defeated [bs]by your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there [bt]to confront you, and you will fall by the sword, since you have turned back from following the Lord. And the Lord will not be with you.” 44 But they foolishly dared to go up to the [bu]ridge of the hill country; neither (EI)the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and scattered them as far as (EJ)Hormah.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 11:2 Lit sank down
  2. Numbers 11:3 I.e., the place for burning
  3. Numbers 11:4 Lit desired a desire
  4. Numbers 11:4 Lit flesh, and so throughout the ch
  5. Numbers 11:6 Lit soul has dried up
  6. Numbers 11:6 Lit for our eyes
  7. Numbers 11:7 I.e., a tree gum
  8. Numbers 11:8 Lit with
  9. Numbers 11:8 Lit juice of oil
  10. Numbers 11:9 Lit on
  11. Numbers 11:10 Lit it was evil in Moses’ eyes
  12. Numbers 11:11 Lit treated badly
  13. Numbers 11:12 Lit against your chest
  14. Numbers 11:12 Or foster father
  15. Numbers 11:14 Lit heavy
  16. Numbers 11:18 Or Who will give...?
  17. Numbers 11:20 Lit until a
  18. Numbers 11:20 Lit becomes nausea to you
  19. Numbers 11:22 Lit gathered
  20. Numbers 11:23 Lit hand too short
  21. Numbers 11:23 Lit happen to you
  22. Numbers 11:26 Lit second
  23. Numbers 11:30 Lit withdrew to
  24. Numbers 11:31 About 3 ft. or 90 cm
  25. Numbers 11:32 Lit arose
  26. Numbers 11:32 About 77 cubic feet or 2.2 cubic meters
  27. Numbers 11:34 I.e., the graves of greediness
  28. Numbers 11:35 Lit were
  29. Numbers 12:8 Lit in
  30. Numbers 12:8 Lit riddles
  31. Numbers 12:11 Lit place the sin on us
  32. Numbers 13:3 Lit mouth
  33. Numbers 13:16 In Heb Yehoshua
  34. Numbers 13:17 I.e., South country, and so throughout the ch
  35. Numbers 13:20 Lit fat or gaunt
  36. Numbers 13:21 Or to the entrance of Hamath
  37. Numbers 13:22 Most mss one came
  38. Numbers 13:22 Lit sons
  39. Numbers 13:23 Or wadi
  40. Numbers 13:23 I.e., cluster (of grapes)
  41. Numbers 13:24 I.e., cluster
  42. Numbers 13:26 Lit to
  43. Numbers 13:28 Lit sons
  44. Numbers 13:30 Lit toward
  45. Numbers 13:33 Lit fallen ones; LXX giants
  46. Numbers 13:33 Or locusts
  47. Numbers 14:1 Lit raised and gave their voice
  48. Numbers 14:1 Lit in that
  49. Numbers 14:9 Lit food
  50. Numbers 14:9 Lit shadow
  51. Numbers 14:11 Or trust in
  52. Numbers 14:12 Lit the plague
  53. Numbers 14:15 Lit as one man
  54. Numbers 14:15 Lit say, saying
  55. Numbers 14:18 I.e., punishment for the wrongdoing
  56. Numbers 14:18 Lit on
  57. Numbers 14:21 Lit and all
  58. Numbers 14:24 Lit entered there
  59. Numbers 14:24 Lit seed
  60. Numbers 14:25 Lit Sea of Reeds
  61. Numbers 14:27 Lit complaining
  62. Numbers 14:29 Lit mustered
  63. Numbers 14:30 Lit raised My hand
  64. Numbers 14:33 Lit bear
  65. Numbers 14:34 Or wrongdoings
  66. Numbers 14:40 Or top of the mountain
  67. Numbers 14:40 Lit said
  68. Numbers 14:40 I.e., by lacking faith to go
  69. Numbers 14:41 Lit mouth
  70. Numbers 14:42 Lit so that you are not
  71. Numbers 14:42 Lit before
  72. Numbers 14:43 Lit before you
  73. Numbers 14:44 Or top of the mountain
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Numbers 11-14
New International Version

Fire From the Lord

11 Now the people complained(A) about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord,(B) and when he heard them his anger was aroused.(C) Then fire from the Lord burned among them(D) and consumed(E) some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed(F) to the Lord(G) and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah,[a](H) because fire from the Lord had burned among them.(I)

Quail From the Lord

4 The rabble with them began to crave other food,(J) and again the Israelites started wailing(K) and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.(L) 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!(M)”

7 The manna was like coriander seed(N) and looked like resin.(O) 8 The people went around gathering it,(P) and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. 9 When the dew(Q) settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing(R) at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble(S) on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?(T) 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant,(U) to the land you promised on oath(V) to their ancestors?(W) 13 Where can I get meat for all these people?(X) They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.(Y) 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me(Z)—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders(AA) who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.(AB) Have them come to the tent of meeting,(AC) that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you(AD) there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.(AE) They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.(AF)

18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves(AG) in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,(AH) “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!”(AI) Now the Lord will give you meat,(AJ) and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it(AK)—because you have rejected the Lord,(AL) who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”(AM)

21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men(AN) on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”(AO)

23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?(AP) Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.(AQ)”

24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud(AR) and spoke with him,(AS) and he took some of the power of the Spirit(AT) that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.(AU) When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied(AV)—but did not do so again.

26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them,(AW) and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 Joshua son of Nun,(AX) who had been Moses’ aide(AY) since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”(AZ)

29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets(BA) and that the Lord would put his Spirit(BB) on them!”(BC) 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail(BD) in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits[b] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.[c] Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth(BE) and before it could be consumed, the anger(BF) of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.(BG) 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,[d](BH) because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth(BI) and stayed there.

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam(BJ) and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,(BK) for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”(BL) And the Lord heard this.(BM)

3 (Now Moses was a very humble man,(BN) more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud;(BO) he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
    I, the Lord, reveal(BP) myself to them in visions,(BQ)
    I speak to them in dreams.(BR)
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;(BS)
    he is faithful in all my house.(BT)
8 With him I speak face to face,
    clearly and not in riddles;(BU)
    he sees the form of the Lord.(BV)
Why then were you not afraid
    to speak against my servant Moses?”(BW)

9 The anger of the Lord burned against them,(BX) and he left them.(BY)

10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent,(BZ) Miriam’s skin was leprous[e]—it became as white as snow.(CA) Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,(CB) 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.(CC) 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!(CD)”

14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face,(CE) would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp(CF) for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp(CG) for seven days,(CH) and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

16 After that, the people left Hazeroth(CI) and encamped in the Desert of Paran.(CJ)

Exploring Canaan

13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore(CK) the land of Canaan,(CL) which I am giving to the Israelites.(CM) From each ancestral tribe(CN) send one of its leaders.”

3 So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.(CO) 4 These are their names:

from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;

5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;(CP)

7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;(CQ)

9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;

12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore(CR) the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun(CS) the name Joshua.)(CT)

17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan,(CU) he said, “Go up through the Negev(CV) and on into the hill country.(CW) 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.(CX)” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)(CY)

21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin(CZ) as far as Rehob,(DA) toward Lebo Hamath.(DB) 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron,(DC) where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai,(DD) the descendants of Anak,(DE) lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)(DF) 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,[f](DG) they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates(DH) and figs.(DI) 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25 At the end of forty days(DJ) they returned from exploring the land.(DK)

Report on the Exploration

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh(DL) in the Desert of Paran.(DM) There they reported to them(DN) and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.(DO) 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!(DP) Here is its fruit.(DQ) 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.(DR) We even saw descendants of Anak(DS) there.(DT) 29 The Amalekites(DU) live in the Negev; the Hittites,(DV) Jebusites(DW) and Amorites(DX) live in the hill country;(DY) and the Canaanites(DZ) live near the sea and along the Jordan.(EA)”

30 Then Caleb(EB) silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”(EC) 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report(ED) about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours(EE) those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.(EF) 33 We saw the Nephilim(EG) there (the descendants of Anak(EH) come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers(EI) in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

The People Rebel

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.(EJ) 2 All the Israelites grumbled(EK) against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!(EL) Or in this wilderness!(EM) 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?(EN) Our wives and children(EO) will be taken as plunder.(EP) Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?(EQ)” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.(ER)”

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown(ES) in front of the whole Israelite assembly(ET) gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun(EU) and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes(EV) 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.(EW) 8 If the Lord is pleased with us,(EX) he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey,(EY) and will give it to us.(EZ) 9 Only do not rebel(FA) against the Lord. And do not be afraid(FB) of the people of the land,(FC) because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with(FD) us.(FE) Do not be afraid of them.”(FF)

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning(FG) them. Then the glory of the Lord(FH) appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?(FI) How long will they refuse to believe in me,(FJ) in spite of all the signs(FK) I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague(FL) and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation(FM) greater and stronger than they.”(FN)

13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.(FO) 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard(FP) that you, Lord, are with these people(FQ) and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face,(FR) that your cloud stays over them,(FS) and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.(FT) 15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath,(FU) so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’(FV)

17 “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.(FW) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’(FX) 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive(FY) the sin of these people,(FZ) just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”(GA)

20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them,(GB) as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live(GC) and as surely as the glory of the Lord(GD) fills the whole earth,(GE) 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs(GF) I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times(GG)— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath(GH) to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt(GI) will ever see it.(GJ) 24 But because my servant Caleb(GK) has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly,(GL) I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.(GM) 25 Since the Amalekites(GN) and the Canaanites(GO) are living in the valleys, turn(GP) back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[g](GQ)”

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.(GR) 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,(GS) declares the Lord, I will do to you(GT) the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall(GU)—every one of you twenty years old or more(GV) who was counted in the census(GW) and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land(GX) I swore with uplifted hand(GY) to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh(GZ) and Joshua son of Nun.(HA) 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.(HB) 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall(HC) in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,(HD) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years(HE)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land(HF)—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things(HG) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.(HH)”

36 So the men Moses had sent(HI) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble(HJ) against him by spreading a bad report(HK) about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report(HL) about the land were struck down and died of a plague(HM) before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land,(HN) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.(HO)

39 When Moses reported this(HP) to all the Israelites, they mourned(HQ) bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country,(HR) saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!(HS)”

41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!(HT) 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,(HU) 43 for the Amalekites(HV) and the Canaanites(HW) will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you(HX) and you will fall by the sword.”

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up(HY) toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.(HZ) 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites(IA) who lived in that hill country(IB) came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.(IC)

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 11:3 Taberah means burning.
  2. Numbers 11:31 That is, about 3 feet or about 90 centimeters
  3. Numbers 11:32 That is, possibly about 1 3/4 tons or about 1.6 metric tons
  4. Numbers 11:34 Kibroth Hattaavah means graves of craving.
  5. Numbers 12:10 The Hebrew for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  6. Numbers 13:23 Eshkol means cluster; also in verse 24.
  7. Numbers 14:25 Or the Sea of Reeds
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