Numbers 14:26–45

Death Sentence on the Rebels

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 i“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? jI have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, k‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, lall of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 mExcept for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I 7swore I would make you dwell in. 31 nBut your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall 8know the land which oyou have despised. 32 But as for you, pyour 9carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall qbe 1shepherds in the wilderness rforty years, and sbear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 tAccording to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, uforty days, for each day you shall bear your 2guilt one year, namely forty years, vand you shall know My 3rejection. 35 wI the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all xthis evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”

36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, ydied by the plague before the Lord. 38 zBut Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.

A Futile Invasion Attempt

39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, aand the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, b“Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!”

41 And Moses said, “Now why do you 4transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. 42 cDo not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; dbecause you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

44 eBut they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as fHormah.