The Command to Leave Horeb (Exodus 33:1–6)
1 RV These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel beyond Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. BSB BSB: These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 RV It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea. BSB BSB: It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
3 RV And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; BSB BSB: In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.
4 RV after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei: BSB BSB: This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
5 RV beyond Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, BSB BSB: On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:
6 RV The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain: BSB BSB: The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
7 RV turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in the South, and by the sea shore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. BSB BSB: Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.
8 RV Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. BSB BSB: See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”
Moses Appoints Leaders (Exodus 18:13–27)
9 RV And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: BSB BSB: At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone.
10 RV The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. BSB BSB: The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.
11 RV The LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you! BSB BSB: May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised.
12 RV How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? BSB BSB: But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?
13 RV Take you wise men, and understanding, and known, according to your tribes, and I will make them heads over you. BSB BSB: Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”
14 RV And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. BSB BSB: And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”
15 RV So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, according to your tribes. BSB BSB: So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.
16 RV And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. BSB BSB: At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.
17 RV Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it. BSB BSB: Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
18 RV And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. BSB BSB: And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.
Twelve Spies Sent Out (Numbers 13:1–33)
19 RV And we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. BSB BSB: And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,
20 RV And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God giveth unto us. BSB BSB: I said: “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.
21 RV Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; fear not, neither be dismayed. BSB BSB: See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
22 RV And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come. BSB BSB: Then all of you approached me and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”
23 RV And the thing pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe: BSB BSB: The plan seemed good to me, so I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.
24 RV and they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. BSB BSB: They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the land.
25 RV And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God giveth unto us. BSB BSB: They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
Israel’s Rebellion (Numbers 14:1–12)
26 RV Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: BSB BSB: But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.
27 RV and ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. BSB BSB: You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.
28 RV Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fenced up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there. BSB BSB: Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”
29 RV Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. BSB BSB: So I said to you: “Do not be terrified or afraid of them!
30 RV The LORD your God who goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; BSB BSB: The LORD your God, who goes before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt
31 RV and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place. BSB BSB: and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”
32 RV Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, BSB BSB: But in spite of all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,
33 RV who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in the cloud by day. BSB BSB: who went before you on the journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.
Israel’s Penalty (Numbers 14:20–35)
34 RV And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, BSB BSB: When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying,
35 RV Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see the good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, BSB BSB: “Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers,
36 RV save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children: because he hath wholly followed the LORD. BSB BSB: except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
37 RV Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither: BSB BSB: The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.
38 RV Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage thou him; for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. BSB BSB: Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land.
39 RV Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. BSB BSB: And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it.
40 RV But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea. BSB BSB: But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
The Defeat at Hormah (Numbers 14:40–45)
41 RV Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and were forward to go up into the mountain. BSB BSB: “We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
42 RV And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. BSB BSB: But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.”
43 RV So I spake unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the mountain. BSB BSB: So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country.
44 RV And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even unto Hormah. BSB BSB: Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah.
45 RV And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto you. BSB BSB: And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
46 RV So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there . BSB BSB: For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.