² And all the people of Israel ^(A)grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or ^(B)would that we had died in this wilderness! ³ Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? ^(C)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, ^(D)“Let us choose a leader and ^(E)go back to Egypt.”

⁵ Then ^(F)Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. ^6 (G)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, ^(H)“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If ^(I)the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, ^(J)a land that flows with milk and honey. ⁹ Only ^(K)do not rebel against the Lord. And ^(L)do not fear the people of the land, for ^(M)they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” ^10 (N)Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But ^(O)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 ^(P)despise me? And how long will they not ^(Q)believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? ¹² I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I ^(R)will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

Moses Intercedes for the People

¹³ But ^(S)Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, ¹⁴ and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. ^(T)They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and ^(U)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 kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ¹⁶ ‘It is because the Lord ^(V)was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ ¹⁷ And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, ^18 (W)‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, ^(X)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ ¹⁹ Please ^(Y)pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just ^(Z)as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

God Promises Judgment

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, ^(AA)according to your word. ²¹ But truly, as I live, and as all ^(AB)the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, ^22 (AC)none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ^(AD)ten times and have not obeyed my voice, ^23 (AE)shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. ²⁴ But my servant ^(AF)Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has ^(AG)followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. ^25 (AH)Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, ^(AI)turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

The Temptation of Jesus

4 ^(A)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness ^(B)to be tempted by the devil. ² And after fasting ^(C)forty days and forty nights, he ^(D)was hungry. ³ And ^(E)the tempter came and said to him, “If you are ^(F)the Son of God, command ^(G)these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, ^(H)“It is written,

^5 (J)Then the devil took him to ^(K)the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

and

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again ^(M)it is written, ^(N)‘You shall not ^(O)put the Lord your God to the test.’” ^8 (P)Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, ^(Q)Satan! For ^(R)it is written,

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and behold, ^(U)angels came and were ministering to him.