Numbers 14:26-45

26The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying, 27“How long shall I put up with this evil congregation who are 1grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel which they are 2voicing against Me. 28Say to them, ‘3As I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘just as 4you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; 295your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all 6your 7numbered men according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30By no means will you come into the land where I 8swore to settle you, 9except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 3110Your children, however, whom you said would become plunder--I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. 3211But as for you, your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33Also, your sons will be shepherds in the wilderness for 12forty years, and they will 13suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your bodies perish in the wilderness. 34In accordance with the 14number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your 15guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. 3516I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.’”

3617As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who returned and led all the congregation to grumble against him by bringing a bad report about the land, 3718those men who brought the bad report of the land also died by a 19plague in the presence of the Lord. 38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

39Now when Moses spoke 20these words to all the sons of Israel, 21the people mourned greatly. 40In the morning, however, they got up early and went up to the 22ridge of the hill country, saying, “23Here we are; and we will go up to the place which the Lord has 24promised, for 25we have sinned.” 41But Moses said, “26Why then are you 27violating the 28command of the Lord, when doing so will not succeed? 4229Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, 30to prevent you from being defeated 31by your enemies. 43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there 32to confront you, and you will fall by the sword, since you have turned back from following the Lord. And the Lord will not be with you.” 44But they foolishly dared to go up to the 33ridge of the hill country; neither 34the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left the camp. 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and scattered them as far as 35Hormah.