The Spies Explore Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:19–25)
1 UEB Then Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said, BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
2 UEB "Send some men to examine the land of Canaan, which I have given to the people of Israel. Send a man from every tribe of their ancestors. Each man must be a leader among them." BSB BSB: “Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among them.”
3 UEB Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, so that they might obey Yahweh's command. All of them were leaders among the people of Israel. BSB BSB: So at the command of the LORD, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites,
4 UEB These were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur; BSB BSB: and these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
5 UEB from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
6 UEB from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
7 UEB from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
8 UEB from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
9 UEB from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
10 UEB from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
11 UEB from the tribe of Joseph (that is to say, from the tribe Manasseh), Gaddi son of Susi; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
12 UEB from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
13 UEB from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
14 UEB from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi; BSB BSB: from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
15 UEB from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki. BSB BSB: and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.
16 UEB These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to examine the land. Moses called Hoshea son of Nun by the name of Joshua. BSB BSB: These were the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land; and Moses gave to Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.
17 UEB Moses sent them to examine the land of Canaan. He said to them, "Approach from the Negev and go up into the hill country. BSB BSB: When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev and into the hill country.
18 UEB Examine the land to see what it is like. Observe the people who live there, whether they are strong or weak, and whether they are few or many. BSB BSB: See what the land is like and whether its people are strong or weak, few or many.
19 UEB See what the land is like where they live. Is it good or bad? What cities are there? Are they like camps, or are they fortified cities? BSB BSB: Is the land where they live good or bad? Are the cities where they dwell open camps or fortifications?
20 UEB See what the land is like, whether it is good for growing crops or not, and whether there are trees there or not. Be brave and bring back samples of the land's produce." Now the time was the season for the first ripe grapes. BSB BSB: Is the soil fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)
21 UEB So the men went up and examined the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo Hamath. BSB BSB: So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo-hamath.
22 UEB They went up from the Negev and arrived at Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, clans descended from Anak, were there. Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. BSB BSB: They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
23 UEB When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut down a branch with a cluster of grapes. They carried it on a staff between two of their group. They also brought pomegranates and figs. BSB BSB: When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two men. They also took some pomegranates and figs.
24 UEB That place was named the Valley of Eshkol, because of the grape cluster that the people of Israel cut down there. BSB BSB: Because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut there, that place was called the Valley of Eshcol.
The Reports of the Spies 25 UEB After forty days, they returned from examining the land. BSB BSB: After forty days the men returned from spying out the land,
27 UEB They told Moses, "We reached the land to which you sent us. It certainly flows with milk and honey. Here is some produce from it. BSB BSB: And they gave this account to Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and indeed, it is flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit!
28 UEB However, the people who make their homes there are strong. The cities are fortified and very large. We also saw descendants of Anak there. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.
29 UEB The Amalekites live in the Negev. The Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites have their homes in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan River." BSB BSB: The Amalekites live in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 UEB Then Caleb silenced the people who were before Moses and said, "Let us go up and take possession of the land, for we are certainly able to conquer it." BSB BSB: Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!”
31 UEB But the other men who had gone with him said, "We are not able to attack the people because they are stronger than we are." BSB BSB: But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!”
32 UEB So they spread around a discouraging report to the people of Israel about the land that they had examined. They said, "The land that we looked at is a land that eats up its inhabitants. All the people whom we saw there are people of great height. BSB BSB: So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out: “The land we explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there are great in stature.
33 UEB There we saw giants, descendants of Anak, people who came from giants. In our own sight we were like grasshoppers in comparison with them, and this is what we were in their sight, too." BSB BSB: We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.