Numbers 12; Numbers 13; Numbers 14; Mark 5:21-43

1 Miriam and Aaron began to say bad things about Moses. That's because Moses had married a woman from Cush.

2 "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" The LORD heard what they said.

3 Moses wasn't very proud at all. In fact, he had less pride than anyone else on the face of the earth.

4 The LORD spoke to Moses, Aaron and Miriam. He said, "All three of you, come out to the Tent of Meeting." So they did.

5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud. He stood at the entrance to the tent. And he told Aaron and Miriam to come to him. Both of them stepped forward.

6 Then the LORD said, "Listen to my words. "Suppose one of my prophets is among you. I make myself known to him in visions. I speak to him in dreams.

7 But that is not true of my servant Moses. He is faithful in everything he does in my house.

8 With Moses I speak face to face. I speak with him clearly. I do not speak in riddles. I let him see something of what I look like. So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

9 The anger of the LORD burned against them. And he left them.

10 When the cloud went up from above the tent, there stood Miriam. She had a disease that made her skin as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her. He saw that she had a skin disease.

11 So he said to Moses, "We have committed a very foolish sin. Please don't hold it against us.

12 Don't let Miriam be like a baby that was born dead. Don't let her look like a dead baby whose body is half eaten away."

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord. He said, "God, please heal her!"

14 The LORD answered Moses. He said, "Suppose her father had spit in her face. Then she would have been put to shame for seven days. So keep her outside the camp for seven days. After that, you can bring her back."

15 So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days. The people didn't move on until she was brought back.

16 After that, the people left Hazeroth. They camped in the Desert of Paran.

1 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said,

2 "Send some men to check out the land of Canaan. I am giving it to the people of Israel. Send one leader from each of Israel's tribes."

3 So Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. He sent them as the LORD had commanded. All of them were leaders of the people of Israel.

4 Here are their names. There was Shammua from the tribe of Reuben. Shammua was the son of Zaccur.

5 There was Shaphat from the tribe of Simeon. Shaphat was the son of Hori.

6 There was Caleb from the tribe of Judah. Caleb was the son of Jephunneh.

7 There was Igal from the tribe of Issachar. Igal was the son of Joseph.

8 There was Hoshea from the tribe of Ephraim. Hoshea was the son of Nun.

9 There was Palti from the tribe of Benjamin. Palti was the son of Raphu.

10 There was Gaddiel from the tribe of Zebulun. Gaddiel was the son of Sodi.

11 There was Gaddi from the tribe of Manasseh. Gaddi was the son of Susi. Manasseh was a tribe of Joseph.

12 There was Ammiel from the tribe of Dan. Ammiel was the son of Gemalli.

13 There was Sethur from the tribe of Asher. Sethur was the son of Michael.

14 There was Nahbi from the tribe of Naphtali. Nahbi was the son of Vophsi.

15 There was Geuel from the tribe of Gad. Geuel was the son of Maki.

16 Those are the men Moses sent to check out the land. He gave the name Joshua to Hoshea, the son of Nun.

17 Moses sent them to check out Canaan. He said, "Go up through the Negev Desert. Go on into the central hill country.

18 See what the land is like. See whether the people who live there are strong or weak. See whether they are few or many.

19 "What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Do the towns have high walls around them or not?

20 How is the soil? Is it rich land or poor land? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." It was the season for the first ripe grapes.

21 So the men went up and checked out the land. They went from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob. It was in the direction of Lebo Hamath.

22 They went up through the Negev Desert and came to Hebron. That's where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai lived. They belonged to the family line of Anak. Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan. Zoan was a city in Egypt.

23 The men came to the Valley of Eshcol. There they cut off a branch that had a single bunch of grapes on it. Two of them carried it on a pole between them. They carried some pomegranates and figs along with it.

24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol. That's because the men of Israel cut off a bunch of grapes there.

25 At the end of 40 days, the men returned from checking out the land.

26 The men came back to Moses, Aaron and the whole community of Israel. The people were at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There the men reported to Moses and Aaron and all of the people. They showed them the fruit of the land.

27 They gave Moses their report. They said, "We went into the land you sent us to. It really does have plenty of milk and honey! Here's some fruit from the land.

28 "But the people who live there are powerful. Their cities have high walls around them and are very large. We even saw members of the family line of Anak there.

29 The Amalekites live in the Negev Desert. The Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the central hill country. The Canaanites live near the Mediterranean Sea. They also live along the Jordan River."

30 Then Caleb interrupted the men who were speaking to Moses. He said, "We should go up and take the land. We can certainly do it."

31 But the men who had gone up with him spoke. They said, "We can't attack those people. They are stronger than we are."

32 The men spread a bad report about the land among the people of Israel. They said, "The land we checked out destroys those who live in it. All of the people we saw there are very big and tall.

33 We saw the Nephilim there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. And that's also how we seemed to them." The children of Anak came from the Nephilim.

1 That night all of the people in the community raised their voices. They sobbed out loud.

2 The people of Israel spoke against Moses and Aaron. The whole community said to them, "We wish we had died in Egypt or even in this desert.

3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land? We're going to be killed with swords. Our enemies will capture our wives and children. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"

4 They said to one another, "We should choose another leader. We should go back to Egypt."

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell with their faces to the ground. They did it in front of the whole community of Israel that was gathered there.

6 Joshua, the son of Nun, tore his clothes. So did Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. Joshua and Caleb were two of the men who had checked out the land.

7 They spoke to the whole community of Israel. They said, "We passed through the land and checked it out. It's very good.

8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he'll lead us into that land. It's a land that has plenty of milk and honey. He'll give it to us.

9 "But don't refuse to obey him. And don't be afraid of the people of the land. We will swallow them up. The LORD is with us. So nothing can save them. Don't be afraid of them."

10 But all of the people talked about killing Joshua and Caleb by throwing stones at them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting. All of the people of Israel saw it.

11 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "How long will these people make fun of me? How long will they refuse to believe in me? They refuse even though I have done many miraculous signs among them.

12 So I will strike them down with a plague. I will destroy them. But I will make you into a greater and stronger nation than they are."

13 Moses said to the Lord, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it. You used your power to bring these people up from among them.

14 "And the Egyptians will tell the people who live in Canaan about it. Lord, they have already heard a lot about you. They've heard that you are with these people. They've heard that you have been seen face to face. They've been told that your cloud stays over them. They've heard that you go in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day. They've been told that you go in front of them in a pillar of fire at night.

15 "Suppose you put these people to death all at one time. Then the nations who have heard those things about you will talk. They'll say,

16 'The LORD took an oath. He promised to give these people the land of Canaan. But he wasn't able to bring them into it. So he killed them in the desert.'

17 "Now, Lord, show your strength. You have said,

18 'I am the Lord. I am slow to get angry. I am full of love. I forgive those who sin. I forgive those who refuse to obey. But I do not let guilty people go without punishing them. I punish the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for the sin of their parents.'

19 "Lord, your love is great. So forgive the sin of these people. Forgive them just as you have done from the time they left Egypt until now."

20 The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, just as you asked.

21 You can be sure that I live. You can be sure that my glory fills the whole earth.

22 "And you can be just as sure that these men will not see the land I promised to give them. They have seen my glory. They have seen the miraculous signs I did in Egypt. And they have seen what I did in the desert. But they did not obey me. And they have put me to the test ten times.

23 So not even one of them will ever see the land I promised with an oath to give to their people of long ago. No one who has made fun of me will ever see it.

24 "But my servant Caleb has a different spirit. He follows me with his whole heart. So I will bring him into the land he went to. And his children after him will receive land there.

25 "The Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys. So turn back tomorrow. Start out toward the desert. Go along the way that leads to the Red Sea."

26 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,

27 "How long will this evil community speak against me? I have heard these Israelites talk about how unhappy they are.

28 So tell them, 'Here is what I, the Lord, am announcing. You can be sure that I live. And you can be just as sure that I will do to you the very things that I heard you say.

29 " 'You will die in this desert. Every one of you who is 20 years old or more will die. Every one of you who was counted in the list of the people will die. Every one of you who has spoken out against me will be wiped out.

30 I lifted up my hand and promised with an oath to make this land your home. But now not all of you will enter the land. Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, will enter it. So will Joshua, the son of Nun. They are the only ones who will enter the land.

31 " 'You have said that your enemies would capture your children. But I will bring your children in to enjoy the land you have turned your backs on.

32 As for you, you will die in the desert.

33 Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years. They will suffer because you were not faithful. They will suffer until the last of your bodies lies here in the desert.

34 For 40 years you will suffer for your sins. That is one year for each of the 40 days you checked out the land. You will know what it is like to have me against you.'

35 "I, the Lord, have spoken. You can be sure that I will do those things to this whole evil community. They have joined together against me. They will meet their end in this desert. They will die here."

36 So the LORD struck down the men Moses had sent to check out the land. They had returned and had spread a bad report about the land. And that had made the whole community speak out against Moses.

37 Those men were to blame for spreading the bad report. So the LORD struck them down. They died of a plague.

38 Only two of the men who went to check out the land remained alive. One of them was Joshua, the son of Nun. The other was Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.

39 Moses reported to all of the people of Israel what the LORD had said. And they became very sad.

40 Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. "We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the LORD promised to give us."

41 But Moses said, "Why aren't you obeying the LORD's command? You won't succeed.

42 So don't go up. The LORD isn't with you. Your enemies will win the battle over you.

43 The Amalekites and Canaanites will meet you on the field of battle. You have turned away from the Lord. So he won't be with you. And you will be killed with swords."

44 But they wouldn't listen. They still went up toward the high hill country. They went up even though Moses didn't move from the camp. They went even though the ark of the LORD's covenant didn't move from the camp.

45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down. They attacked the people of Israel. They won the battle over them. They chased them all the way to Hormah.

21 Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee in a boat. It landed at the other side. There a large crowd gathered around him.

22 Then a man named Jairus came. He was a synagogue ruler. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet.

23 He begged Jesus, "Please come. My little daughter is dying. Place your hands on her to heal her. Then she will live."

24 So Jesus went with him. A large group of people followed. They crowded around him.

25 A woman was there who had a sickness that made her bleed. It had lasted for 12 years.

26 She had suffered a great deal, even though she had gone to many doctors. She had spent all the money she had. But she was getting worse, not better.

27 Then she heard about Jesus. She came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes.

28 She thought, "I just need to touch his clothes. Then I will be healed."

29 Right away her bleeding stopped. She felt in her body that her suffering was over.

30 At once Jesus knew that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd. He asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

31 "You see the people," his disciples answered. "They are crowding against you. And you still ask, 'Who touched me?' "

32 But Jesus kept looking around. He wanted to see who had touched him.

33 Then the woman came and fell at his feet. She knew what had happened to her. She was shaking with fear. But she told him the whole truth.

34 He said to her, "Dear woman, your faith has healed you. Go in peace. You are free from your suffering."

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus. He was the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher anymore?"

36 But Jesus didn't listen to them. He told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid. Just believe."

37 He let only Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, follow him.

38 They came to the home of the synagogue ruler. There Jesus saw a lot of confusion. People were crying and sobbing loudly.

39 He went inside. Then he said to them, "Why all this confusion and sobbing? The child is not dead. She is only sleeping."

40 But they laughed at him. He made them all go outside. He took only the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him. And he went in where the child was.

41 He took her by the hand. Then he said to her, ""Talitha koum!"" This means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"

42 The girl was 12 years old. Right away she stood up and walked around. They were totally amazed at this.

43 Jesus gave strict orders not to let anyone know what had happened. And he told them to give her something to eat.