Numbers 13:17-33

17As he sent them to explore the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there through the Negev, then go up into the hill country.

18See what the land is like and the people living there, whether they might be strong or weak, few or many.

19In what kind of land are they living? Is it good or bad? Also, what about the cities in which they are living? Are they unwalled or do they have fortifications?

20How is the soil—fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

21So they went up and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob the entrance of Hamath.

22They continued on up through the Negev and came to Hebron. There lived Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23When they reached as far as the Valley of Eshcol, they cut a single branch with a cluster of grapes. It was carried on a pole between two of them. They also cut some pomegranates and some figs.

24That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster cut by Bnei-Yisrael.

25They returned from investigating the land after 40 days.

26They traveled and returned to Moses, Aaron and the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They gave their report to them and the entire assembly. They showed the land’s fruit.

27They gave their account to him and said, “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey—this is some of its fruit.

28Except, the people living in the land are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw the sons of Anak there!

29Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are living in the mountains, and the Canaanites are living near the sea and along the bank of the Jordan.”

30Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “We should definitely go up and capture the land, for we can certainly do it!”

31But the men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack these people, because they are stronger than we.”

32They spread among Bnei-Yisrael a bad report about the land they had explored, saying, “The land through which we passed to explore devours its residents. All the people we saw there are men of great size!

33We also saw there the Nephilim . (The sons of Anak are from the Nephilim .) We seemed like grasshoppers in our eyes as well as theirs!”