Numbers 13-16

Numbers 13

¹And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

²‘Send for thee men, and they spy the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel; one man, one man for the tribe of his fathers ye do send, every one a prince among them.'

³And Moses sendeth them from the wilderness of Paran by the command of Jehovah; all of them are men, heads of the sons of Israel they are,

⁴and these their names: For the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur.

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

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

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

⁸For the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea, son of Nun.

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

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

¹¹For the tribe of Joseph, (for the tribe of Manasseh,) Gaddi son of Susi.

¹²For the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli.

¹³For the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael.

¹⁴For the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vopshi.

¹⁵For the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.

¹⁶These are the names of the men whom Moses hath sent to spy the land; and Moses calleth Hoshea son of Nun, Jehoshua.

¹⁷And Moses sendeth them to spy the land of Canaan, and saith unto them, ‘Go ye up this way into the south, and ye have gone up the mountain,

¹⁸and have seen the land what it is, and the people which is dwelling on it, whether it is strong or feeble; whether it is few or many;

¹⁹and what the land is in which it is dwelling, whether it is good or bad; and what are the cities in which it is dwelling, whether in camps or in fortresses;

²⁰And what the land is, whether it is fat or lean; whether there is wood in it or not; and ye have strengthened yourselves, and have taken of the fruit of the land;' and the days are days of the first-fruits of grapes.

²¹And they go up and spy the land, from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob at the going in to Hamath;

²²and they go up by the south, and come in unto Hebron, and there are Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, children of Anak (and Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt),

²³and they come in unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down thence a branch and one cluster of grapes, and they bear it on a staff by two, also some of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

²⁴That place hath one called Brook of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut from thence.

²⁵And they turn back from spying the land at the end of forty days.

²⁶And they go and come in unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto all the company of the sons of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and they bring them and all the company back word, and shew them the fruit of the land.

²⁷And they recount to him, and say, ‘We came in unto the land whither thou hast sent us, and also it is flowing with milk and honey -- and this is its fruit;

²⁸only, surely the people which is dwelling in the land is strong; and the cities are fenced, very great; and also children of Anak we have seen there.

²⁹Amalek is dwelling in the land of the south, and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite is dwelling in the hill country, and the Canaanite is dwelling by the sea, and by the side of the Jordan.'

³⁰And Caleb stilleth the people concerning Moses, and saith, ‘Let us certainly go up -- and we have possessed it; for we are thoroughly able for it.'

³¹And the men who have gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for it is stronger than we;'

³²and they bring out an evil account of the land which they have spied unto the sons of Israel, saying, ‘The land into which we passed over to spy it, is a land eating up its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in its midst are men of stature;

³³and there we saw the Nephilim, sons of Anak, of the Nephilim; and we are in our own eyes as grasshoppers; and so we were in their eyes.'

Numbers 14

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

²and 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!

³and 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?'

⁴And they say one unto another, ‘Let us appoint a head, and turn back to Egypt.'

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

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

⁷and 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;

⁸if 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;

⁹only, 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.'

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹And 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?

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

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

¹⁴and 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‘And Thou hast put to death this people as one man, and the nations who have heard Thy fame have spoken, saying,

¹⁶From 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‘And now, let, I pray Thee, the power of my Lord be great, as Thou hast spoken, saying:

¹⁸Jehovah 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; --

¹⁹forgive, 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.'

²⁰And Jehovah saith, ‘I have forgiven, according to thy word;

²¹and yet, I live -- and it is filled -- the whole earth -- with the honour of Jehovah;

²²for 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 --

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

²⁴and 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‘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.'

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

²⁷‘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;

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

²⁹in 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;

³⁰ye -- 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‘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;

³²as to you -- your carcases do fall in this wilderness,

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

³⁴by 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;

³⁵I 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.'

³⁶And 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,

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

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

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

⁴⁰and 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.'

⁴¹And Moses saith, ‘Why is this? -- ye are transgressing the command of Jehovah, and it doth not prosper;

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

⁴³for 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.'

⁴⁴And 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.

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

Numbers 15

¹And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

²‘Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When ye come in unto the land of your dwellings, which I am giving to you,

³then ye have prepared a fire-offering to Jehovah, a burnt-offering, or a sacrifice, at separating a vow or free-will-offering, or in your appointed things, to make a sweet fragrance to Jehovah, out of the herd, or out of the flock.

⁴‘And he who is bringing near his offering to Jehovah hath brought near a present of flour, a tenth deal, mixed with a fourth of the hin of oil;

⁵and wine for a libation, a fourth of the hin thou dost prepare for the burnt-offering or for a sacrifice, for the one lamb;

⁶or for a ram thou dost prepare a present of flour, two-tenth deals, mixed with oil, a third of the hin;

⁷and wine for a libation, a third part of the hin, thou dost bring near -- a sweet fragrance to Jehovah.

⁸‘And when thou makest a son of the herd a burnt-offering or a sacrifice, at separating a vow or peace-offerings to Jehovah,

⁹then he hath brought near for the son of the herd a present of flour, three-tenth deals, mixed with oil, a half of the hin;

¹⁰and wine thou bringest near for a libation, a half of the hin -- a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah;

¹¹thus it is done for the one ox, or for the one ram, or for a lamb of the sheep or of the goats.

¹²‘According to the number that ye prepare, so ye do to each, according to their number;

¹³every native doth thus with these, at bringing near a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah;

¹⁴and when a sojourner sojourneth with you, or whoso is in your midst to your generations, and he hath made a fire-offering of sweet fragrance to Jehovah, as ye do so he doth.

¹⁵‘One statute is for you of the congregation and for the sojourner who is sojourning, a statute age-during to your generations: as ye are so is the sojourner before Jehovah;

¹⁶one law and one ordinance is to you and to the sojourner who is sojourning with you.'

¹⁷And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

¹⁸‘Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, In your coming in unto the land whither I am bringing you in,

¹⁹then it hath been, in your eating of the bread of the land, ye heave up a heave-offering to Jehovah;

²⁰the beginning of your dough a cake ye heave up -- a heave-offering; as the heave-offering of a threshing-floor, so ye do heave it.

²¹Of the beginning of your dough ye do give to Jehovah a heave-offering -- to your generations.

²²‘And when ye err, and do not all these commands which Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses,

²³the whole that Jehovah hath charged upon you by the hand of Moses, from the day that Jehovah hath commanded, and henceforth, to your generations,

²⁴then it hath been, if from the eyes of the company it hath been done in ignorance, that all the company have prepared one bullock, a son of the herd, for a burnt-offering, for sweet fragrance to Jehovah, and its present, and its libation, according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats for a sin-offering.

²⁵‘And the priest hath made atonement for all the company of the sons of Israel, and it hath been forgiven them, for it is ignorance, and they -- they have brought in their offering, a fire-offering to Jehovah, even their sin-offering before Jehovah for their ignorance;

²⁶and it hath been forgiven to all the company of the sons of Israel, and to the sojourner who is sojourning in their midst; for to all the company it is done in ignorance.

²⁷‘And if one person sin in ignorance, then he hath brought near a she-goat, daughter of a year, for a sin-offering;

²⁸and the priest hath made atonement for the person who is erring, in his sinning in ignorance before Jehovah, by making atonement for him, and it hath been forgiven him;

²⁹for the native among the sons of Israel, and for the sojourner who is sojourning in their midst -- one law is to you, for him who is doing anything through ignorance.

³⁰‘And the person who doth aught with a high hand -- of the native or of the sojourner -- Jehovah he is reviling, and that person hath been cut off from the midst of his people;

³¹because the word of Jehovah he despised, and His command hath broken -- that person is certainly cut off; his iniquity is on him.'

³²And the sons of Israel are in the wilderness, and they find a man gathering wood on the sabbath-day,

³³and those finding him gathering wood bring him near unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto all the company,

³⁴and they place him in ward, for it is not explained what is to be done to him.

³⁵And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘The man is certainly put to death, all the company stoning him with stones, at the outside of the camp.'

³⁶And all the company bring him out unto the outside of the camp, and stone him with stones, and he dieth, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.

³⁷And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

³⁸‘Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, and they have made for themselves fringes on the skirts of their garments, to their generations, and they have put on the fringe of the skirt a ribbon of blue,

³⁹and it hath been to you for a fringe, and ye have seen it, and have remembered all the commands of Jehovah, and have done them, and ye search not after your heart, and after your eyes, after which ye are going a-whoring;

⁴⁰so that ye remember and have done all My commands, and ye have been holy to your God;

⁴¹I am Jehovah your God, who hath brought you out from the land of Egypt to become your God; I, Jehovah, am your God.'

Numbers 16

¹And Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, taketh both Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben,

²and they rise up before Moses, with men of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty, princes of the company, called of the convention, men of name,

³and they are assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and say unto them, ‘Enough of you! for all the company -- all of them are holy, and in their midst is Jehovah; and wherefore do ye lift yourselves up above the assembly of Jehovah?'

⁴And Moses heareth, and falleth on his face,

⁵and he speaketh unto Korah, and unto all his company, saying, ‘Morning! -- and Jehovah is knowing those who are his, and him who is holy, and hath brought near unto Him; even him whom He doth fix on He bringeth near unto Him.

⁶This do: take to yourselves censers, Korah, and all his company,

⁷and put in them fire, and put on them perfume, before Jehovah to-morrow, and it hath been, the man whom Jehovah chooseth, he is the holy one; -- enough of you, sons of Levi.'

⁸And Moses saith unto Korah, ‘Hear ye, I pray you, sons of Levi;

⁹is it little to you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the company of Israel to bring you near unto Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the company to serve them? --

¹⁰yea, He doth bring thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee -- and ye have sought also the priesthood!

¹¹Therefore, thou and all thy company who are met are against Jehovah; and Aaron, what is he, that ye murmur against him?'

¹²And Moses sendeth to call for Dathan and for Abiram sons of Eliab, and they say, ‘We do not come up;

¹³is it little that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to put us to death in a wilderness that thou also certainly makest thyself prince over us?

¹⁴Yea, unto a land flowing with milk and honey thou hast not brought us in, nor dost thou give to us an inheritance of field and vineyard; the eyes of these men dost thou pick out? we do not come up.'

¹⁵And it is very displeasing to Moses, and he saith unto Jehovah, ‘Turn not Thou unto their present; not one ass from them have I taken, nor have I afflicted one of them.'

¹⁶And Moses saith unto Korah, ‘Thou and all thy company, be ye before Jehovah, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow;

¹⁷and take ye each his censer, and ye have put on them perfume, and brought near before Jehovah, each his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; and thou and Aaron, each his censer.'

¹⁸And they take each his censer, and put on them fire, and lay on them perfume, and they stand at the opening of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

¹⁹And Korah assembleth against them all the company unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and the honour of Jehovah is seen by all the company.

²⁰And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

²¹‘Be ye separated from the midst of this company, and I consume them in a moment;'

²²and they fall on their faces, and say, ‘God, God of the spirits of all flesh -- the one man sinneth, and against all the company Thou art wroth!'

²³And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

²⁴‘Speak unto the company, saying, Go ye up from round about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'

²⁵And Moses riseth, and goeth unto Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel go after him,

²⁶and he speaketh unto the company, saying, ‘Turn aside, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and come not against anything that they have, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.'

²⁷And they go up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, from round about, and Dathan, and Abiram have come out, standing at the opening of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their infants.

²⁸And Moses saith, ‘By this ye do know that Jehovah hath sent me to do all these works, that they are not from my own heart;

²⁹if according to the death of all men these die -- or the charge of all men is charged upon them -- Jehovah hath not sent me;

³⁰and if a strange thing Jehovah do, and the ground hath opened her mouth and swallowed them, and all that they have, and they have gone down alive to Sheol -- then ye have known that these men have despised Jehovah.'

³¹And it cometh to pass at his finishing speaking all these words, that the ground which is under them cleaveth,

³²and the earth openeth her mouth, and swalloweth them, and their houses, and all the men who are for Korah, and all the goods,

³³and they go down, they, and all that they have, alive to Sheol, and the earth closeth over them, and they perish from the midst of the assembly;

³⁴and all Israel who are round about them have fled at their voice, for they said, ‘Lest the earth swallow us;'

³⁵and fire hath come out from Jehovah, and consumeth the two hundred and fifty men bringing near the perfume.

³⁶And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

³⁷‘Say unto Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, and he lifteth up the censers from the midst of the burning, and the fire scatter thou yonder, for they have been hallowed,

³⁸even the censers of these sinners against their own souls; and they have made them spread-out plates, a covering for the altar, for they have brought them near before Jehovah, and they are hallowed; and they are become a sign to the sons of Israel.'

³⁹And Eleazar the priest taketh the brazen censers which they who are burnt had brought near, and they spread them out, a covering for the altar --

⁴⁰a memorial to the sons of Israel, so that a stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron doth not draw near to make a perfume before Jehovah, and is not as Korah, and as his company, -- as Jehovah hath spoken by the hand of Moses to him.

⁴¹And all the company of the sons of Israel murmur, on the morrow, against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ‘Ye -- ye have put to death the people of Jehovah.'

⁴²And it cometh to pass, in the company being assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they turn towards the tent of meeting, and lo, the cloud hath covered it, and the honour of Jehovah is seen;

⁴³and Moses cometh -- Aaron also -- unto the front of the tent of meeting.

⁴⁴And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

⁴⁵‘Get you up from the midst of this company, and I consume them in a moment;' and they fall on their faces,

⁴⁶and Moses saith unto Aaron, ‘Take the censer, and put on it fire from off the altar, and place perfume, and go, hasten unto the company, and make atonement for them, for the wrath hath gone out from the presence of Jehovah -- the plague hath begun.'

⁴⁷And Aaron taketh as Moses hath spoken, and runneth unto the midst of the assembly, and lo, the plague hath begun among the people; and he giveth the perfume, and maketh atonement for the people,

⁴⁸and standeth between the dead and the living, and the plague is restrained;

⁴⁹and those who die by the plague are fourteen thousand and seven hundred, apart from those who die for the matter of Korah;

⁵⁰and Aaron turneth back unto Moses, unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and the plague hath been restrained.