The Wilderness Years

Kalev silenced the people around Moshe and said, "We ought to go up immediately and take possession of it; there is no question that we can conquer it."

But the men who had gone with him said, "We can't attack those people, because they are stronger than we are";

and they spread a negative report about the land they had reconnoitered for the people of Isra'el by saying, "The land we passed through in order to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there were giant!

We saw the N'filim, the descendants of 'Anak, who was from the N'filim; to ourselves we looked like grasshoppers by comparison, and we looked that way to them too!"

At this all the people of Isra'el cried out in dismay and wept all night long.

Moreover, all the people of Isra'el began grumbling against Moshe and Aharon; the whole community told them, "We wish we had died in the land of Egypt! or that we had died here in the desert!

Why is ADONAI bringing us to this land, where we will die by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be taken as booty! Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"

And they said to each other, "Let's appoint a leader and return to Egypt!"

Moshe and Aharon fell on their faces before the entire assembled community of the people of Isra'el.

Y'hoshua the son of Nun and Kalev the son of Y'funeh, from the detachment that had reconnoitered the land, tore their clothes

and said to the whole community of Isra'el, "The land we passed through in order to spy it out is an outstandingly good land!

If ADONAI is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us -a land flowing with milk and honey.

Just don't rebel against ADONAI. And don't be afraid of the people living in the land - we'll eat them up! Their defense has been taken away from them, and ADONAI is with us! Don't be afraid of them!"

But just as the whole community were saying they should be stoned to death, the glory of ADONAI appeared in the tent of meeting to all the people of Isra'el.

ADONAI said to Moshe, "How much longer is this people going to treat me with contempt? How much longer will they not trust me, especially considering all the signs I have performed among them?

I am going to strike them with sickness, destroy them and make from you a nation greater and stronger than they are!"

However, Moshe replied to ADONAI, "When the Egyptians hear about this -[and they will,] because it was from among them that you, by your strength, brought this people up -

they will tell the people living in this land. They have heard that you, ADONAI, are with this people; that you, ADONAI, are seen face to face; that your cloud stands over them; that you go ahead of them in a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night.

If you kill off this people at a single stroke, then the nations that have heard of your reputation will say

that the reason ADONAI slaughtered this people in the desert is that he wasn't able to bring them into the land which he swore to give them.

So now, please, let Adonai's power be as great as when you said,

'ADONAI is slow to anger, rich in grace, forgiving offenses and crimes; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents' offenses to be experienced by their children and even by the third and fourth generations.'

Please! Forgive the offense of this people according to the greatness of your grace, just as you have borne with this people from Egypt until now."

ADONAI answered, "I have forgiven, as you have asked.

But as sure as I live, and that the whole earth is filled with the glory of ADONAI,