Numbers 13:26-14:11

English Standard Version

²⁶ And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at ^(A)Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It ^(B)flows with milk and honey, ^(C)and this is its fruit. ^28 (D)However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. ^29 (E)The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. ^(F)And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”

³⁰ But ^(G)Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” ^31 (H)Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” ³² So ^(I)they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and ^(J)all the people that we saw in it are of great height. ³³ And there we saw the ^(K)Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the ^(L)Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves ^(M)like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people ^(N)wept that night. ² And all the people of Israel ^(O)grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or ^(P)would that we had died in this wilderness! ³ Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? ^(Q)Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” ⁴ And they said to one another, ^(R)“Let us choose a leader and ^(S)go back to Egypt.”

⁵ Then ^(T)Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. ^6 (U)And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, ^(V)“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If ^(W)the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, ^(X)a land that flows with milk and honey. ⁹ Only ^(Y)do not rebel against the Lord. And ^(Z)do not fear the people of the land, for ^(AA)they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” ^10 (AB)Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But ^(AC)the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

¹¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people ^(AD)despise me? And how long will they not ^(AE)believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?