Common English Bible CEB
English Standard Version ESV
1 The entire community raised their voice and the people wept that night.
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Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
2 All the Israelites criticized Moses and Aaron. The entire community said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt or if only we had died in this desert!
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And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our children will be taken by force. Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"
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Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? ”
4 So they said to each other, "Let's pick a leader and let's go back to Egypt."
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And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt. ”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembled Israelite community.
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Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel.
6 But Joshua, Nun's son, and Caleb, Jephunneh's son, from those who had explored the land, tore their clothes
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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 the entire Israelite community, "The land we crossed through to explore is an exceptionally good land.
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and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.
8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he'll bring us into this land and give it to us. It's a land that's full of milk and honey.
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If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.
9 Only don't rebel against the LORD and don't be afraid of the people of the land. They are our prey. Their defense has deserted them, but the LORD is with us. So don't be afraid of them."
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Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them. ”
10 But the entire community intended to stone them. Then the LORD's glory appeared in the meeting tent to all the Israelites.
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Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people disrespect me? And how long will they doubt me after all the signs that I performed among them?
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And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?
12 I'll strike them down with a plague and disown them. Then I'll make you into a great nation, stronger than they."
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I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they. ”
13 Moses said to the LORD, "The Egyptians will hear, for with your power you brought these people up from among them.
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But 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 They'll tell the inhabitants of this land. They've heard that you, LORD, are with this people. You, LORD, appear to them face-to-face. Your cloud stands over them. You go before them in a column of cloud by day and in a column of lightning by night.
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and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and 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 If you kill these people, every last one of them, the nations who heard about you will say,
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Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say,
16 ‘The LORD wasn't able to bring these people to the land that he solemnly promised to give them. So he slaughtered them in the desert.'
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‘It is because the Lord 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 Now let my master's power be as great as you declared when you said,
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And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,
18 ‘The LORD is very patient and absolutely loyal, forgiving wrongs and disloyalty. Yet he doesn't forgo all punishment, disciplining the grandchildren and great-grandchildren for their ancestors' wrongs.'
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‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation. ’
19 Please forgive the wrongs of these people because of your absolute loyalty, just as you've forgiven these people from their time in Egypt until now."
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Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now. ”
20 Then the LORD said, "I will forgive as you requested.
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Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.
21 But as I live and as the LORD's glory fills the entire earth,
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But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord,
22 none of the men who saw my glory and the signs I did in Egypt and in the desert, but tested me these ten times and haven't listened to my voice,
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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 ten times and have not obeyed my voice,
23 will see the land I promised to their ancestors. All who disrespected me won't see it.
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shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.
24 But I'll bring my servant Caleb into the land that he explored, and his descendants will possess it because he has a different spirit, and he has remained true to me.
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But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valley, tomorrow turn and march into the desert by the route of the Reed Sea."
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Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea. ”
26 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron:
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And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
27 How long will this wicked community complain against me? I've heard the Israelites' dissent as they continue to complain against me.
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“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
28 Say to them, "As I live," says the LORD, "just as I've heard you say, so I'll do to you.
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Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:
29 Your dead bodies will fall in this desert. None of you who were enlisted and were registered from 20 years old and above, who complained against me,
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your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me,
30 will enter the land in which I promised to settle you, with the exception of Caleb, Jephunneh's son, and Joshua, Nun's son.
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not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 But your children, whom you said would be taken by force, I'll bring them in and they will know the land that you rejected.
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But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.
32 Your bodies, however, will fall in this desert,
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But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.
33 and your children will be shepherds in the desert for forty years. They will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies fall in the desert.
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And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.
34 For as many days as you explored the land, that is, forty days, just as many years you'll bear your guilt, that is, forty years. This is how you will understand my frustration."
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According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure. ’
35 I the LORD have spoken. I will do this to the entire wicked community who gathered against me. They will die in this desert. There they'll meet their end.
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I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die. ”
36 The men whom Moses sent out to explore the land had returned and caused the entire community to complain against him by starting a rumor about the land.
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And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land—
37 These men died by a plague in the LORD's presence on account of their false rumor.
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the men who brought up a bad report of the land— died by plague before the Lord.
38 But Joshua, Nun's son, and Caleb, Jephunneh's son, survived from those men who went to explore the land.
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Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.
39 Moses spoke these words to all the Israelites, and the people mourned bitterly.
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When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned greatly.
40 They rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain range, saying, "Let's go up to the place the LORD told us to, for we have sinned."
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And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the Lord has promised, for we have sinned. ”
41 But Moses said, "Why do you disobey the LORD's command? It won't succeed.
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But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the Lord, when that will not succeed?
42 Don't go up, for the LORD isn't with you. Don't be struck down before your enemies.
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Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies.
43 The Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you and you will fall by the sword because you turned away from the LORD, and the LORD is no longer with you."
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For there the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you. ”
44 Yet they recklessly ascended toward the top of the mountains, even though Moses and the LORD's chest containing the covenant didn't depart from the camp.
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But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp.
45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites, who lived in those mountains, descended, struck them down, and beat them all the way to Hormah.
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Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025