Numbers

Tells about the Israelites' 40 years in the desert, including their travels and the census of their tribes.

Chapter 14

1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

*Everyone in the group raised their voices and shouted, while the people cried and mourned that night.

2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

*All the Israelite kids complained to Moses and Aaron. The entire group said, "We wish we had died in Egypt or here in the desert."

3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

*Why has the LORD brought us to this land only for us to be killed with swords, and for our wives and children to be taken as captives? Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?

4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

*They said to each other, "Let's choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

*Then, Moses and Aaron bowed down to the ground in front of everyone at the gathering of the Israelites' family group.

6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

*Joshua and Caleb, who were part of the group that explored the land, tore their clothes in distress.

7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

*They told everyone at the Israelites' gathering, "The land we explored is very great and wonderful."

8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

*If God likes us, He will take us to this land and give it to us - a land full of milk and honey.

9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

*Don't rebel against the Lord and don't be afraid of the people of the land. They are like food for us because they can't defend themselves. The Lord is on our side, so don't be scared of them.

10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

*But everyone in the group wanted to throw stones at them. And the great presence of God showed up in the meeting place, in front of all the people of Israel.

11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

*And God asked Moses, "How long will these people anger me? When will they trust me, considering all the signs I've shown them?"

12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

*I will punish them with disease and remove them from their land. Then I will make you into a bigger and stronger nation than them.

13 And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)

*And Moses told God, "Then the Egyptians will hear it, because you have powerful saved these people from there."

14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.

*They will share the news with the people living here because they know you, God, are with this group. They've seen you face-to-face, and your cloud is above them. You go ahead of them during the day as a cloud pillar and as a fire pillar at night.

15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

*Now if you kill all these people at once, the other nations who have heard about you will talk, saying,

16 Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

*Because God couldn't take these people to the promised land, he killed them in the desert.

17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my LORD be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

*Now, please make the power of my Lord strong, just like you said it would be.

18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

*The LORD is very patient and full of kindness. He forgives people's mistakes and wrongdoings but doesn't excuse those who are guilty. Sometimes, He punishes the bad actions of parents by affecting their children for three or four generations.

19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

*Please forgive this people's wrongdoing based on your great kindness, just like how you have forgiven them before from Egypt until now.

20 And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

*And God said, I have forgiven as you asked.

21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

*I swear, when I'm alive, the whole world will have God's greatness in it.

22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

*Because all those people who saw my greatness and miracles in Egypt and the desert, and have tested me ten times, and didn't listen to my voice;

23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

*They won't see the land I promised their ancestors, and those who angered me won't either.

24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

*But my servant Caleb, since he had a different attitude and completely trusted me, I will take him to the land he explored, and his children will own it.

25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

*The Amalekites and Canaanites lived in the valley. Go to the desert by the Red Sea tomorrow.

26 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

*And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

*For how long must I endure this wicked group that complains about me? I have listened to the complaints of the Israelites as they complain to me.

28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

*Tell them, "I swear by the LORD, just like you said, that's exactly what I'll do to you," says the LORD.

29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

*In the desert, your bodies will drop. Everyone counted among you, starting at age 20, who complained about me, will die here.

30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

*There is no doubt that you will not enter the promised land, which I swore to give you as your home, except for Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun.

31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

*But the young ones you said would be taken, I will bring them back, and they will learn about the land you didn't like.

32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

*But for you, your dead bodies will be left in this desert land.

33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

*Your kids will wander in the desert for forty years, carrying your sins, until you die there.

34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

*After you searched the land for 40 days, with each day representing a year, you will bear your sins for 40 years. You will then understand my broken promise.

35 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

*I, the LORD, have declared that I will act against this wicked group who oppose me. In the desert, they will perish, and there they will pass away.

36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

*The men Moses sent to look at the land came back and caused the people to complain about Moses by spreading bad rumors about the land.

37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

*Even the men who spread bad rumors about the land passed away from the plague before God did.

38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

*But Joshua and Caleb, who were part of the group that explored the land, continued to live.

39 And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

*Moses shared these messages with everyone in Israel, and the people were very sad.

40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.

*In the morning, they woke up early and climbed to the top of the mountain. They said, "We are here now, and we will go to the place where God promised. We know we have sinned."

41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.

*Moses asked, "Why are you breaking God's rule now?" He added that it won't work out well.

42 Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.

*Don't go up because the LORD isn't with you; so you won't be defeated by your enemies.

43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.

*The Amalekites and Canaanites are in your way, and you'll be defeated by them with swords. This is happening because you have stopped listening to the LORD, so He won't help you.

44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

*But they thought they could climb the hilltop. However, the special box of God's agreement and Moses didn't leave the main area.

45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.

*Then the Amalekites and Canaanites living on the hill attacked and defeated them all the way to a place called Hormah.

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