Spies Sent into Canaan

13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 a“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

3 So Moses sent them bfrom the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 cfrom the tribe of Judah, dCaleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, 1Hoshea the son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to 2spy out the land. And Moses called eHoshea 3the son of Nun, Joshua.

17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to fthe mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is 4rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. gBe of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land hfrom the Wilderness of Zin as far as iRehob, near the entrance of jHamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to kHebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of lAnak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 mThen they came to the 5Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of 6Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at nKadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly 7flows with omilk and honey, pand this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the qpeople who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of rAnak there. 29 sThe Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

30 Then tCaleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

31 uBut the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they vgave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and wall the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the 8giants (xthe descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were ylike 9grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were zin their sight.”

Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan

14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people awept that night. 2 bAnd all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to 1fall by the sword, that our wives and cchildren should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, d“Let us select a leader and ereturn to Egypt.”

5 Then Moses and Aaron 2fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6 But 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 they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: f“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord gdelights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, h‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only ido not rebel against the Lord, jnor fear the people of the land, for kthey 3are our bread; their protection has departed from them, land the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

10 mAnd all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now nthe glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.