^{1 Ref} And all the company lifteth up and give forth their voice, and the people weep during that night;

^{2 Ref} and all the sons of Israel murmur against Moses, and against Aaron, and all the company say unto them, `O that we had died in the land of Egypt, or in this wilderness, O that we had died!

^{3 Ref} and why is Jehovah bringing us in unto this land to fall by the sword? our wives and our infants are become a prey; is it not good for us to turn back to Egypt?'

^{4 Ref} And they say one unto another, `Let us appoint a head, and turn back to Egypt.'

^{5 Ref} And Moses falleth -- Aaron also -- on their faces, before all the assembly of the company of the sons of Israel.

^{6 Ref} And Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those spying the land, have rent their garments,

^{7 Ref} and they speak unto all the company of the sons of Israel, saying, `The land into which we have passed over to spy it, `is' a very very good land;

^{8 Ref} if Jehovah hath delighted in us, then He hath brought us in unto this land, and hath given it to us, a land which is flowing with milk and honey;

^{9 Ref} only, against Jehovah rebel not ye: and ye, fear not ye the people of the land, for our bread they `are'; their defence hath turned aside from off them, and Jehovah `is' with us; fear them not.'

^{10 Ref} And all the company say to stone them with stones, and the honour of Jehovah hath appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the sons of Israel.

^{11 Ref} And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Until when doth this people despise Me? and until when do they not believe in Me, for all the signs which I have done in its midst?

^{12 Ref} I smite it with pestilence, and dispossess it, and make thee become a nation greater and mightier than it.'

^{13 Ref} And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `Then have the Egyptians heard! for Thou hast brought up with Thy power this people out of their midst,

^{14 Ref} and they have said `it' unto the inhabitant of this land, they have heard that Thou, Jehovah, `art' in the midst of this people, that eye to eye Thou art seen -- O Jehovah, and Thy cloud is standing over them, -- and in a pillar of cloud Thou art going before them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

^{15 Ref} `And Thou hast put to death this people as one man, and the nations who have heard Thy fame have spoken, saying,

^{16 Ref} From Jehovah's want of ability to bring in this people unto the land which He hath sworn to them -- He doth slaughter them in the wilderness.

^{17 Ref} `And now, let, I pray Thee, the power of my Lord be great, as Thou hast spoken, saying:

^{18 Ref} Jehovah `is' slow to anger, and of great kindness; bearing away iniquity and transgression, and not entirely acquitting, charging iniquity of fathers on sons, on a third `generation', and on a fourth; --

^{19 Ref} forgive, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of Thy kindness, and as Thou hast borne with this people from Egypt, even until now.'

^{20 Ref} And Jehovah saith, `I have forgiven, according to thy word;

^{21 Ref} and yet, I live -- and it is filled -- the whole earth -- `with' the honour of Jehovah;

^{22 Ref} for all the men who are seeing My honour, and My signs, which I have done in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and try Me these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice --

^{23 Ref} they see not the land which I have sworn to their fathers, yea, none of those despising Me see it;

^{24 Ref} and My servant Caleb, because there hath been another spirit with him, and he is fully after Me -- I have brought him in unto the land whither he hath entered, and his seed doth possess it.

^{25 Ref} `And the Amalekite and the Canaanite are dwelling in the valley; to-morrow turn ye and journey for yourselves into the wilderness -- the way of the Red Sea.'

²⁶ And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,

^{27 Ref} `Until when hath this evil company that which they are murmuring against Me? the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they are murmuring against Me, I have heard;

^{28 Ref} say unto them, I live -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- if, as ye have spoken in Mine ears -- so I do not to you;

^{29 Ref} in this wilderness do your carcases fall, even all your numbered ones, to all your number, from a son of twenty years and upward, who have murmured against Me;

^{30 Ref} ye -- ye come not in unto the land which I have lifted up My hand to cause you to tabernacle in it, except Caleb son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun.

^{31 Ref} `As to your infants -- of whom ye have said, A spoil they are become -- I have even brought them in, and they have known the land which ye have kicked against;

^{32 Ref} as to you -- your carcases do fall in this wilderness,

^{33 Ref} and your sons are evil in the wilderness forty years, and have borne your whoredoms till your carcases are consumed in the wilderness;

^{34 Ref} by the number of the days `in' which ye spied the land, forty days, -- a day for a year, a day for a year -- ye do bear your iniquities, forty years, and ye have known my breaking off;

^{35 Ref} I `am' Jehovah, I have spoken; if I do not this to all this evil company who are meeting against me; -- in this wilderness they are consumed, and there they die.'

^{36 Ref} And the men whom Moses hath sent to spy the land, and they turn back and cause all the company to murmur against him, by bringing out an evil account concerning the land,

^{37 Ref} even the men bringing out an evil account of the land die by the plague before Jehovah;

^{38 Ref} and Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, have lived of those men who go to spy out the land.

^{39 Ref} And Moses speaketh these words unto all the sons of Israel, and the people mourn exceedingly,

^{40 Ref} and they rise early in the morning, and go up unto the top of the mountain, saying, `Here we `are', and we have come up unto the place which Jehovah hath spoken of, for we have sinned.'

^{41 Ref} And Moses saith, `Why `is' this? -- ye are transgressing the command of Jehovah, and it doth not prosper;

^{42 Ref} go not up, for Jehovah is not in your midst, and ye are not smitten before your enemies;

^{43 Ref} for the Amalekite and the Canaanite `are' there before you, and ye have fallen by the sword, because that ye have turned back from after Jehovah, and Jehovah is not with you.'

^{44 Ref} And they presume to go up unto the top of the mountain, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah and Moses have not departed out of the midst of the camp.

^{45 Ref} And the Amalekite and the Canaanite who are dwelling in that mountain come down and smite them, and beat them down -- unto Hormah.

^{1 Ref} And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

^{2 Ref} And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness!

^{3 Ref} And wherefore doth Jehovah bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

^{4 Ref} And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

^{5 Ref} Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

^{6 Ref} And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes:

^{7 Ref} and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land.

^{8 Ref} If Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

^{9 Ref} Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.

^{10 Ref} But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel.

^{11 Ref} And Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?

^{12 Ref} I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.

^{13 Ref} And Moses said unto Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;

^{14 Ref} and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that thou Jehovah art in the midst of this people; for thou Jehovah art seen face to face, and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

^{15 Ref} Now if thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

^{16 Ref} Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

^{17 Ref} And now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

^{18 Ref} Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear `the guilty', visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.

^{19 Ref} Pardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy lovingkindness, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

^{20 Ref} And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

^{21 Ref} but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah;

^{22 Ref} because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

^{23 Ref} surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it:

^{24 Ref} but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

^{25 Ref} Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: to-morrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.

²⁶ And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

^{27 Ref} How long `shall I bear' with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

^{28 Ref} Say unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

^{29 Ref} your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me,

^{30 Ref} surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

^{31 Ref} But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected.

^{32 Ref} But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

^{33 Ref} And your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness.

^{34 Ref} After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my alienation.

^{35 Ref} I, Jehovah, have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

^{36 Ref} And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,

^{37 Ref} even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Jehovah.

^{38 Ref} But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.

^{39 Ref} And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

^{40 Ref} And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Jehovah hath promised: for we have sinned.

^{41 Ref} And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah, seeing it shall not prosper?

^{42 Ref} Go not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies.

^{43 Ref} For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned back from following Jehovah, therefore Jehovah will not be with you.

^{44 Ref} But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

^{45 Ref} Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.