The Setting

1These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suf, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2It is an eleven day journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. 3In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that YHWH had given him in commandment to them, 4after he had struck Sihon the king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.

The Command to Enter Canaan

5Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying, 6“YHWH our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, ‘Y’all have lived long enough at this mountain. 7Now y’all must turn and set out on y’all’s journey, going to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the places near there: in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the South, by the seashore, in the land of the Canaanites, and in Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8Look, I have set the land before y’all. Y’all must go in and possess the land which YHWH swore to y’all’s ancestors—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their descendants+1:8 or, seed after them.’”

The Appointment of Tribal Leaders

9At that time I spoke to y’all, saying, “I am not able to bear the burden of y’all alone. 10YHWH your* God has multiplied y’all, and today, y’all are as numerous the stars of the sky. 11May YHWH, the God of y’all’s ancestors, increase y’all a thousand times more and bless y’all, as ʜᴇ has promised y’all! 12But how can I bear y’all’s problems, burdens, and strife by myself? 13Y’all must choose some wise, understanding, and respected men from among your* tribes, and I will make them heads over y’all.”

14Y’all answered me and said, “What you have said is good to do.” 15So I took the heads of y’all’s tribes, wise and respected men, and made them heads over y’all, leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for y’all’s tribes. 16I commanded y’all’s judges at that time, saying, “Hear cases between y’all’s brothers and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him. 17Y’all must not show partiality in judgment. Y’all are to listen to the small and the great alike. Y’all must not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. If a case is too hard for y’all, y’all may bring to me, and I will hear it.” 18I commanded y’all at that time all the things that y’all were to do.

Spies Sent Out

22All y’all approached to me and said, “Let’s send men ahead oof us to search the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way we must go up, and the cities to which we will come.”

23The thing pleased me well. I took twelve of y’all’s men, one man for every tribe. 24They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and spied on it. 25They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, “It is a good land which YHWH our God gives to us.”

Rebellion and Fear

26But y’all were not willing to go up. Y’all rebelled against the commandment of YHWH y’all’s God. 27Y’all grumbled in y’all’s tents and said, “YHWH hates us, so ʜᴇ brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. 28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we are. The cities are great and fortified up to the sky. We have even seen the sons of the Anakim there!’”

29Then I said to y’all, “Y’all must not be terrified or afraid of them. 30YHWH y’all’s God, who goes ahead y’all, he will fight for y’all, just as ʜᴇ did for y’all in Egypt before y’all’s eyes, 31and in the wilderness where you saw that YHWH your God carried y’all, as a man carries his son, all the way that y’all went, until y’all came to this place.”

32But for all this, y’all did not trust YHWH y’all’s God, 33who went before y’all on the journey to seek out a place for y’all to setup camp. Y’all saw ʜɪᴍ by fire at night and in the cloud by day, to show the way y’all should go. 34YHWH heard the voice of y’all’s words and was angry, and swore, saying, 35“Not one of these men from this evil generation will see the good land which I swore to give to y’all’s ancestors, 36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it. I will give the land that he has walked on to him and to his children, because he has followed YHWH fully.”

37YHWH was also angry with me because of y’all, saying, “You also will not enter it. 38Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it. 39And y’all’s little ones, whom y’all said would be captured or killed, y’all’s children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, will enter there. I will give it to them, and they will possess it. 40But as for y’all, y’all must turn and set out for the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.”

41Then y’all answered and said to me, “We have sinned against YHWH. We will go up and fight, according to all that YHWH our God commanded us.” All y’all put on their weapons of war, and prepared to go up to the hill country.

42YHWH said to me, “You are to tell them, ‘Y’all must not go up and fight, because I am not with y’all, and y’all will be defeated by y’all’s enemies.’”

43So I spoke to y’all, but y’all didn’t listen. Y’all rebelled against the commandment of YHWH, and were arrogant, and went up into the hill country. 44The Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against y’all and chased y’all like bees do. They beat y’all down from Seir to Hormah. 45Y’all returned and wept before YHWH, but YHWH would not listen to y’all’s voice or turn his ear to y’all. 46So y’all stayed in Kadesh many days, for those days y’all stayed.