Numbers 13:1-25 ▼

1 And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Send men, and they shall spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel. One man—you? shall send one man for the tribe of their fathers, each one a leader among them.”

3 And Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the mouth of YHWH; all the men were heads of the sons of Israel.

4 And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur.

5 From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori.

6 From the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh.

7 From the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph.

8 From the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun.

9 From the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu.

10 From the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi.

11 From a tribe of Joseph (from the tribe of Manasseh), 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 Machi.

16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea son of Nun Joshua.

17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the Negev, and go up to the mountain.

18 And see the land, how it is, and the people dwelling in it, is he strong or weak, is he few or many;

19 and how is the land in which he is dwelling, is it good or bad; and how are the cities in which he is dwelling, in camps or in fortifications;

20 and how is the land, is it fat or lean, is there wood in it or not. And be of good courage, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” (And the time was the season of the firstfruits of grapes.)

21 And they went up and spied out the land, from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at the going in to Hamath.

22 And they went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, and there were Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai—those born of Anak. And Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.

23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there they cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; and they also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.

24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol, on account of the cluster that the men of Israel cut down there.

25 And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.