1 And all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or that only we had died in this wilderness!3 Why is Jehovah bringing us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become prey? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?4 So they said to one another, Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.5 Then Moses and Aaron fell 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, among those who spied out the land, tore their clothes;7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.8 If Jehovah has delighted in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us; a land flowing with milk and honey.9 Only do not rebel against Jehovah, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their shade has departed from them, and Jehovah is with us. Do not fear them.10 And all the congregation intended to stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting before all the children of Israel.11 And Jehovah said to Moses: How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have done among them?12 I will strike them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.13 And Moses said to Jehovah: Then the Egyptians will hear it (for by Your might You brought these people up from among them),14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Jehovah, are among these people; that You, Jehovah, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying,16 Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.17 And now, I beseech You, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying,18 Jehovah is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but not acquitting to leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation.19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have borne this people, from Egypt even until now.20 And Jehovah said: I have pardoned, according to your word;21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah;22 because all these men seeing My glory and the signs which I have done in Egypt and in the wilderness, and tested Me now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,23 they shall not see the land of which I have sworn to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his seed shall possess it.25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn and set out into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.26 And Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the murmurings which the children of Israel grumble against Me.28 Say to them, As I live, says Jehovah, just as you have spoken in My ears, so I will do to you:29 The carcasses of you who have grumbled against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I raised My hand and swore to make you dwell there.31 But your little ones, whom you said would be prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear your harlotry, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your iniquities one year; forty years; and you shall know My opposition.35 I Jehovah have spoken: I will surely do so to all this 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 grumble against him by bringing an evil report of the land,37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before Jehovah.38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.39 And Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.40 And they arose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, Here we are, and we will go up to the place which Jehovah has promised; for we have sinned.41 And Moses said, Why do you transgress the mouth of Jehovah? For it will not prosper.42 Do not go up, that you not be smitten before your enemies, for Jehovah is not among you.43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword, because you have turned away from Jehovah; Jehovah is not with you.44 But they heedlessly went up to the top of the mountain; nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of Jehovah nor Moses departed from the camp.45 And the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and struck them, and beat them to pieces, to Hormah.

1 Therfor al the cumpeny criede, and wepte in that nyyt,2 and alle the sones of Israel grutchiden ayens Moises and Aaron, and seiden,3 We wolden that we hadden be deed in Egipt, and not in this waast wildirnesse; we wolden that we perischen, and that the Lord lede vs not in to this lond, lest we fallen bi swerd, and oure wyues and fre children ben led prisoneris; whether it is not betere to turne ayen in to Egipt?4 And thei seiden oon to another, Ordeyne we a duyk to vs, and turne we ayen in to Egipt.5 And whanne this was herd, Moises and Aaron felden lowe to erthe, bifor al the multitude of the sones of Israel.6 And sotheli Josue, the sone of Nun, and Caleph, the sone of Jephone, whiche also cumpassiden the lond, to renten her clothis,7 and spaken to al the multitude of the sones of Israel, The lond which we cumpassiden is ful good;8 if the Lord is merciful to vs, he schal lede vs in to it, and schal yyue `to vs the lond flowynge with mylk and hony.9 Nyle ye be rebel ayens the Lord, nether drede ye the puple of this lond, for we moun deuoure hem so as breed; al her help passide awei fro hem, the Lord is with vs, nyle ye drede.10 And whanne al the multitude criede, and wolde oppresse hem with stonys, the glorie of the Lord apperide on the roof of the boond of pees, while alle the sones of Israel sien.11 And the Lord seide to Moises, Hou long schal this puple bacbite me? Hou longe schulen thei not bileue to me in alle `signes, whiche Y haue do bifor hem?12 Therfor Y schal smyte hem with pestilence, and Y schal waste hem; forsothe Y schal make thee prince on a greet folk, and strongere than is this.13 And Moises seide to the Lord, Egipcians `here not, fro whos myddil thou leddist out this puple,14 and the dwelleris of this loond, whiche herden that thou, Lord, art in this puple, and art seyn face to face, and that thi cloude defendith hem, and that thou goist bifore hem in a pilere of cloude bi dai,15 and in a piler of fier bi nyyt, that thou hast slayn so greet a multitude as o man,16 and seie thei, He myyte not brynge this puple in to the lond for whiche he swoor, therfor he killide hem in wildirnesse;17 therfor the strengthe of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast swore. And Moises seide,18 Lord pacient, and of myche mercy, doynge awei wickidnesse and trespassis, and leeuynge no man vngilti, which visitist the synnes of fadris in to sones in to the thridde and fourthe generacioun, Y biseche,19 foryyue thou the synne of this thi puple, aftir the greetnesse of thi merci, as thou were merciful to men goynge out of Egipt `til to this place.20 And the Lord seide, Y haue foryouun to hem, bi thi word.21 Y lyue; and the glorie of the Lord schal be fillid in al erthe;22 netheles alle men that sien my mageste, and my signes, whiche Y dide in Egipt and in the wildirnesse, and temptiden me now bi ten sithis, and obeieden not to my vois,23 schulen not se the lond for which Y swore to her fadris, nethir ony of hem that bacbitide me, schal se it.24 Y schal lede my seruaunt Caleph, that was ful of anothir spirit, and suede me, in to this lond, which he cumpasside, and his seed schal welde it.25 For Amalech and Cananei dwellen in the valeis, to morewe moue ye tentis, and turne ye ayen in to wildirnesse bi the weie of the reed see.26 And the Lord spak to Moises and to Aaron, and seide,27 Hou long grutchith this werste multitude ayens me? Y haue herd the pleyntis of the sones of Israel.28 Therfor seie thou to hem, Y lyue, seith the Lord; as ye spaken while Y herde, so Y schal do to you;29 youre careyns schulen ligge in this wildirnesse. Alle ye that ben noumbrid, fro twenti yeer and aboue, and grutchiden ayens me,30 schulen not entre in to the lond, on which Y reiside myn hond, that Y schulde make you to dwelle outakun Caleph, the sone of Jephone, and Josue, the sone of Nun.31 Forsothe Y schal lede in youre litle children, of whiche ye seiden that thei schulden be preyes `ethir raueyns to enemyes, that thei se the lond which displeside you.32 Forsothe youre careyns schulen ligge in the wildirnesse;33 youre sones schulen be walkeris aboute in the deseert bi fourti yeer, and thei schulen bere youre fornycacioun, til the careyns of the fadris ben wastid in the deseert,34 by the noumbre of fourti daies, in whiche ye bihelden the loond; a yeer schal be arettid for a dai, and bi fourti yeer ye schulen resseyue youre wickidnesse, and ye schulen knowe my veniaunce.35 For as Y spak, so Y schal do to al this werste multitude, that roos to gidere ayens me; it schal faile, and schal die in this wildirnesse.36 Therfor alle the men whyche Moises hadde sent to see the lond, and whiche turniden ayen, and maden al the multitude to grutche ayens hym, and depraueden the lond, that it was yuel,37 weren deed, and smytun in the siyt of the Lord.38 Sotheli Josue, the sone of Nun, and Caleph, the sone of Jephone, lyueden, of alle men that yeden to se the lond.39 And Moises spak alle these wordis to alle the sones of Israel, and the puple mourenyde gretli.40 And, lo! thei riseden in the morewtid first, and `stieden in to the cop of the hil, and seiden, We ben redi to stie to the place, of which the Lord spak, for we synneden.41 To whiche Moises seide, Whi passen ye the word of the Lord, that schal not bifalle to you in to prosperite?42 Nyle ye stie, for the Lord is not with you, lest ye fallen bifor youre enemyes.43 Amalech and Cananei ben bifor you, bi the swerd of whiche ye schulen falle, for ye nolden assente to the Lord, nether the Lord schal be with you.44 And thei weren maad derk, and stieden in to the cop of the hil; forsothe the ark of the testament of the Lord and Moises yeden not awey fro the tentis.45 And Amalech cam doun, and Chananei, that dwelliden in the hil, and he smoot hem, and kittide doun, and pursuede hem til Horma.