Daily Bread

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ²⁷ “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.^{(A) 28} So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,^(B) declares the Lord, I will do to you^(C) the very thing I heard you say: ²⁹ In this wilderness your bodies will fall^(D)—every one of you twenty years old or more^(E) who was counted in the census^(F) and who has grumbled against me. ³⁰ Not one of you will enter the land^(G) I swore with uplifted hand^(H) to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh^(I) and Joshua son of Nun.^{(J) 31} As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.^{(K) 32} But as for you, your bodies will fall^(L) in this wilderness. ³³ Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,^(M) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. ³⁴ For forty years^(N)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land^(O)—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ ³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things^(P) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.^(Q)”

³⁶ So the men Moses had sent^(R) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble^(S) against him by spreading a bad report^(T) about it— ³⁷ these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report^(U) about the land were struck down and died of a plague^(V) before the Lord. ³⁸ Of the men who went to explore the land,^(W) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.^(X)

³⁹ When Moses reported this^(Y) to all the Israelites, they mourned^(Z) bitterly. ⁴⁰ Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country,^(AA) saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!^(AB)”

⁴¹ But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!^{(AC) 42} Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,^{(AD) 43} for the Amalekites^(AE) and the Canaanites^(AF) will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you^(AG) and you will fall by the sword.”

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up^(AH) toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.^{(AI) 45} Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites^(AJ) who lived in that hill country^(AK) came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.^(AL)