| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Then the whole community broke into loud cries, and the people wept that night. | 1At this, the entire assembly complained, started to shout, and cried through the rest of that night. |
| 2All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! | 2All the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron. Then the entire assembly responded, "We wish that we had died in Egypt or in this wilderness. |
| 3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" | 3What's the point in the LORD bringing us to this land? To die by the sword so our wives and children would become war victims? Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?" |
| 4So they said to one another, "Let's appoint a leader and go back to Egypt." | 4Then they told each other, "Let's assign a leader and go back to Egypt." |
| 5Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces to the ground in front of the whole assembly of the Israelite community. | 5Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in front of the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel. |
| 6Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes | 6Nun's son Joshua and Jephunneh's son Caleb, who had accompanied the others who also had explored the land, tore their clothes |
| 7and said to the entire Israelite community: "The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. | 7and attempted to reason with the entire congregation of Israel. They told them, "The land that we went through and explored is very, very good. |
| 8If the LORD is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. | 8If the LORD is pleased with us, he'll bring us into this land and give it to us. It flows with milk and honey. |
| 9Only don't rebel against the LORD, and don't be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us. Don't be afraid of them!" | 9However, don't rebel against the LORD or be afraid of the people who live in the land, because we'll gobble them right up. Their defenses will collapse, because the LORD is with us. You are not to be afraid of them." |
| 10While the whole community threatened to stone them, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting. | 10But the entire congregation was talking about stoning them to death. Suddenly, the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all of the Israelis. |
| 11The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people despise Me? How long will they not trust in Me despite all the signs I have performed among them? | 11"How long will this people keep on spurning me and refusing to trust me, despite all the miracles that I've done among them?" the LORD asked Moses. |
| 12I will strike them with a plague and destroy them. Then I will make you into a greater and mightier nation than they are." | 12"That's why I'm going to attack them with pestilence and disinherit them. Instead, I'll make you a great nation—even mightier than they are!" |
| 13But Moses replied to the LORD, "The Egyptians will hear about it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from them. | 13But Moses responded to the LORD, "When Egypt hears that you've brought this people out from among them with a mighty demonstration of power, |
| 14They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people, how You, LORD, are seen face to face, how Your cloud stands over them, and how You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. | 14they'll also proclaim to the inhabitants of this land that they've heard you're among this people, LORD, whom they've seen face to face, since your cloud stands guard over them. You've guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night. |
| 15If You kill this people with a single blow, the nations that have heard of Your fame will declare, | 15But if you slaughter this people all at the same time, then the nations who heard about your fame will say, |
| 16Since the LORD wasn't able to bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.'" | 16The LORD slaughtered this people in the wilderness because he wasn't able to bring them to the land that he promised them.' |
| 17So now, may my Lord's power be magnified just as You have spoken: | 17"Now, let the power of the LORD be magnified, just as you promised when you said, |
| 18The LORD is slow to anger and rich in faithful love, forgiving wrongdoing and rebellion. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' wrongdoing on the children to the third and fourth generation. | 18The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in faithful love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he won't acquit the guilty. He recalls the iniquity of fathers to the third and fourth generation.' |
| 19Please pardon the wrongdoing of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your faithful love, just as You have forgiven them from Egypt until now." | 19"Forgive, please, the iniquity of this people, according to your great, faithful love, in the same way that you've carried this people from Egypt to this place." |
| 20The LORD responded, "I have pardoned them as you requested. | 20The LORD responded, "I've forgiven them based on what you've said. |
| 21Yet as surely as I live and as the whole earth is filled with the LORD's glory, | 21But just as I live, and just as the whole earth will be filled with the LORD's glory, |
| 22none of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tested Me these 10 times and did not obey Me, | 22none of those men who saw my glory and watched my miracles that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness—even though they've tested me these ten times and never listened to my voice— |
| 23will ever see the land I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have despised Me will see it. | 23will ever see the land that I promised to their ancestors. Those who spurned me won't see it. |
| 24But since My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me completely, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his descendants will inherit it. | 24Now as to my servant Caleb, because a different spirit is within him and he has remained true to me, I'm going to bring him into the land that he explored, and his descendants are to inherit it. |
| 25Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the lowlands, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea." | 25Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite live in the valley. Tomorrow, turn and then travel to the wilderness in the direction of the Reed Sea." |
| 26Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron: " | 26Then the LORD told Moses and Aaron, |
| 27How long must I endure this evil community that keeps complaining about Me? I have heard the Israelites' complaints that they make against Me. | 27"How long will this wicked assembly keep complaining about me? I've heard the complaints of the Israelis that they've been murmuring against me. |
| 28Tell them: As surely as I live," this is the LORD's declaration, "I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. | 28So tell them that as long as I live—consider this to be an oracle from the LORD—as certainly as you've spoken right into my ears, that's how I'm going to treat you. |
| 29Your corpses will fall in this wilderness--all of you who were registered in the census, the entire number of you 20 years old or more--because you have complained about Me. | 29Your corpses will fall in this wilderness—every single one of you who has been counted among you, according to your number from 20 years and above, who complained against me. |
| 30I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. | 30You will certainly never enter the land about which I made an oath with my uplifted hand to settle you in it, except for Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua. |
| 31I will bring your children whom you said would become plunder into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it. | 31However, I'll bring your little ones—the ones whom you claimed would become war victims—into the land so that they'll know by experience the land that you've rejected. |
| 32But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. | 32"Now as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness |
| 33Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for 40 years and bear the penalty for your acts of unfaithfulness until all your corpses lie scattered in the wilderness. | 33and your children will wander throughout the wilderness for 40 years. They'll bear the consequences of your idolatries until your bodies are entirely consumed in the wilderness. |
| 34You will bear the consequences of your sins 40 years based on the number of the 40 days that you scouted the land, a year for each day. You will know My displeasure. | 34Just as you explored the land for 40 days, you'll bear the consequences of your iniquities for 40 years—one year for each day—as you experience my hostility. |
| 35I, Yahweh, have spoken. I swear that I will do this to the entire evil community that has conspired against Me. They will come to an end in the wilderness, and there they will die." | 35I, the LORD, have spoken. I will indeed do this to this evil congregation, who gathered together against me. They'll be eliminated in this wilderness and will surely die." |
| 36So the men Moses sent to scout out the land, and who returned and incited the entire community to complain about him by spreading a negative report about the land-- | 36After this, the men whom Moses sent out to explore the land, who returned and made the whole congregation complain against him by bringing an evil report concerning the land, |
| 37those men who spread the negative report about the land were struck down by the LORD. | 37and who produced an evil report about the land, died of pestilence in the LORD's presence. |
| 38Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to scout out the land. | 38However, Nun's son Joshua and Jephunneh's son Caleb, who had explored the land, remained alive. |
| 39When Moses reported these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome with grief. | 39After Moses had told all of this to the Israelis, the people deeply mourned. |
| 40They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, "Let's go to the place the LORD promised, for we were wrong." | 40So they got up early the next morning and traveled to the top of the mountain, telling themselves, "Look, we're here and we're going to go up to the place that the LORD had spoken about, even though we've sinned." |
| 41But Moses responded, "Why are you going against the LORD's command? It won't succeed. | 41But Moses asked them, "Why do you continue to sin against what the LORD said? Don't you know that you can never succeed? |
| 42Don't go, because the LORD is not among you and you will be defeated by your enemies. | 42Don't go up, since you know that the LORD is no longer with you. You'll be attacked right in front of your own enemies. |
| 43The Amalekites and Canaanites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The LORD won't be with you, since you have turned from following Him." | 43The Amalekites and Canaanites are there waiting for you. You'll die violently, since you've turned your back and have stopped following the LORD. The LORD won't be with you." |
| 44But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill country, even though the ark of the LORD's covenant and Moses did not leave the camp. | 44But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain, even though the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and Moses didn't leave the camp. |
| 45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah. | 45The Amalekites came down, accompanied by some Canaanites who lived in the mountains. They attacked and defeated them even while the Israelis were retreating to Hormah. |
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