| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. | 1Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept. |
| 2And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! | 2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! |
| 3Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” | 3Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” |
| 4So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” | 4So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” |
| 5Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. | 5Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel. |
| 6But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; | 6Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes |
| 7and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. | 7and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. |
| 8If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ | 8If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. |
| 9Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.” | 9Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!” |
| 10And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. | 10But the whole congregation threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting. |
| 11Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? | 11And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them? |
| 12I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” | 12I will strike them with a plague and destroy them—and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are.” |
| 13And Moses said to the LORD: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, | 13But Moses said to the LORD, “The Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people from among them. |
| 14and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. | 14And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have already heard that You, O LORD, are in the midst of this people, that You, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that Your cloud stands over them, and that You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. |
| 15Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, | 15If You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard of Your fame will say, |
| 16‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ | 16‘Because the LORD was unable to bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ |
| 17And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, | 17So now I pray, may the power of my Lord be magnified, just as You have declared: |
| 18‘The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ | 18‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’ |
| 19Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” | 19Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.” |
| 20Then the LORD said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; | 20“I have pardoned them as you requested,” the LORD replied. |
| 21but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD— | 21“Yet as surely as I live and as surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD, |
| 22because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, | 22not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times— |
| 23they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. | 23not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it. |
| 24But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. | 24But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it. |
| 25Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.” | 25Now since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.” |
| 26And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, | 26Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, |
| 27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. | 27“How long will this wicked congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that the Israelites are making against Me. |
| 28Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: | 28So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. |
| 29The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. | 29Your bodies will fall in this wilderness—all who were numbered in the census, everyone twenty years of age or older—because you have grumbled against Me. |
| 30Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. | 30Surely none of you will enter the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. |
| 31But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. | 31But I will bring your children, whom you said would become plunder, into the land you have rejected—and they will enjoy it. |
| 32But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. | 32As for you, however, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. |
| 33And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. | 33Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. |
| 34According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. | 34In keeping with the forty days you spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt forty years—a year for each day—and you will experience My alienation. |
| 35I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ” | 35I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this entire wicked congregation, which has conspired against Me. They will meet their end in the wilderness, and there they will die.” |
| 36Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, | 36So the men Moses had sent to spy out the land, who had returned and made the whole congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report about the land— |
| 37those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. | 37those men who had brought out the bad report about the land—were struck down by a plague before the LORD. |
| 38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land. | 38Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive. |
| 39Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. | 39And when Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly. |
| 40And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!” | 40Early the next morning they got up and went up toward the ridge of the hill country. “We have indeed sinned,” they said, “but we will go to the place the LORD has promised.” |
| 41And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. | 41But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed! |
| 42Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. | 42Do not go up, lest you be struck down by your enemies, because the LORD is not among you. |
| 43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” | 43For there the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you.” |
| 44But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. | 44But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of the LORD moved from the camp. |
| 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah. | 45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them all the way to Hormah. |
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