Spies Sent into Canaan^(A)

13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^2 (B)“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

¹⁷ Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to ^(A)the mountains, ¹⁸ and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many;

²⁵ And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

²⁶ Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at ^(A)Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly ^[a]flows with ^(B)milk and honey, ^(C)and this is its fruit. ²⁸ Nevertheless the ^(D)people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of ^(E)Anak there.

Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan

14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people ^(A)wept that night. ^2 (B)And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron ^[a]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, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: ^(A)“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If the Lord ^(B)delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ^(C)‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ ⁹ Only ^(D)do not rebel against the Lord, ^(E)nor fear the people of the land, for ^(F)they^[b] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, ^(G)and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

^10 (H)And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now ^(I)the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.