Numbers 14 - EasyEnglish Bible 2024（EASY）

Chapter 14The people turn against Moses

1Then all the people started to weep loudly. And they cried all night.

2All the Israelites spoke strongly against Moses and Aaron. All the people said to them, ‘We would rather have died in Egypt, or even in this desert!

3Why is the Lord taking us into this land? Its people will kill us all with swords. They will take our wives and our children for themselves. We think that it would be better for us to return to Egypt.’

4So they said to each other, ‘We should choose a new leader instead of Moses. Then we should return to Egypt.’

5Then Moses and Aaron threw themselves on the ground in front of the whole group of the Israelites.

6Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, were two of the men who had explored the land. They were very upset and they tore their clothes.

7Joshua and Caleb said to all the Israelites, ‘The land that we travelled through to explore is a very good land.

8If the Lord is happy with us, he will bring us into this land. And he will give it to us. In that land there is plenty of food and drink, enough for everyone.

9But do not refuse to obey the Lord. Do not be afraid of the people in that land. They are like food that is ready for us to eat! They have no place to hide. The Lord is with us to help us. So do not be afraid of them.’

10Then all the people wanted to throw stones at Joshua and Caleb to kill them. But the glory of the Lord appeared over the Tent of Meeting and all the Israelites could see it.

11The Lord said to Moses, ‘These people continue to turn away from me. I did great miracles to show them my power. But still they will not trust me.

12I will send a disease to kill them. They will no longer be my people. But I will make you, Moses, the ancestor of a nation that is greater and more powerful than they are.’

13Moses said to the Lord, ‘Please do not do that! You used your great power to bring these people out of Egypt. If you destroy them, the Egyptians will hear about it.

14Then they will tell the people who live in this land about it. They know that you, Lord, are among your people. They know that you meet with your people. They know that your cloud stays over them. They know that you lead them as a pillar of cloud during the day and as a pillar of fire during the night.

15The people in other nations have heard of your power. So now, if you kill all your people at one time, the people in those nations will say,

16“The Lord could not bring those people into the land that he had promised to give to them. That is why he killed all of them in the desert.”

17But now, I pray that you will show how powerful you are. You yourself have said,

18“The Lord does not quickly become angry. His faithful love for his people continues for ever. He forgives people when they turn against him and they do bad things. But if someone is guilty, he surely punishes them. And he punishes their children, their grandchildren and their grandchildren's children.”

19Because your faithful love is so great, please forgive the sins of these people. You have forgiven them since they left Egypt until now, so please continue to do that now.’

20Then the Lord said, ‘I have forgiven them as you asked me to do.

21As surely as I live and all the earth will be full of my glory, I tell you this:

22All these people have seen my glory. They have seen the miracles that I did in Egypt and in the desert. But they have tested me many times now to see if I would punish them. They still do not obey me.

23So I tell you, none of them will ever see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors. None of those men who did not trust me will see that place.

24But my servant Caleb has thought differently, and he has obeyed me completely. So I will bring him into the land that he explored. It will belong to his descendants.

25The Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys now. So tomorrow you must turn back. You must travel through the desert towards the Red Sea.’ God punishes the Israelites

26The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

27‘These evil people have complained against me too many times! I have heard the bad things that the Israelites have said against me.

28Tell them this: “I, the Lord, have heard your words. I promise you, as surely as I live, I will certainly do to you as you have said.

29Your dead bodies will fall to the ground in this desert. All the men that Moses counted will die. Those were the men who were 20 years old or older when he counted them. They complained against me and now they will die in this desert.

30None of them will go into the land that I promised to give to you to live in. The only men who will go in are Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun.

31You said that the people in Canaan would take your children to be their slaves. But I will bring those children into the land. You did not want that land for yourselves, so now it will belong to your children.

32But as for you, your dead bodies will fall to the ground in this desert.

33Your children will be shepherds in the desert for 40 years. Because you did not trust me, your children will suffer This will continue until all your dead bodies are lying in the desert.

34You explored the land of Canaan for 40 days. Now you will suffer for 40 years, because of your sins. Each day becomes one year! You will know that I have become your enemy.

35I, the Lord, have spoken! I will certainly punish these wicked people. They have all joined together to speak against me. In this desert they will die. Yes, that will be the end of them!” ’

36-37The men who had given a bad report to the people about the land of Canaan died immediately. Moses had sent them to explore the land, but they had caused all the people to turn against the Lord. So the Lord sent a bad disease to kill those men.

38Only two men who had gone to explore the land did not die. They were Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.

39When Moses gave God's message to all the Israelites, the people were very sad.

40The next morning, they got up early. They went up to the top of the hills near there. They said, ‘We have certainly done a bad thing. But now we are ready to obey the Lord! We will go to the place that he has promised to give us.’

41But Moses said, ‘You are still not obeying the Lord's command. Why is that? You will not have any success.

42Do not go into that land. The Lord is not with you. So your enemies will win against you.

43The Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you. They will kill you with their swords. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you to help you.’

44But the people did not listen to Moses. Moses and the Lord's Covenant Box stayed in the camp. But the men marched up to the top of the hills.

45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in the hill country ran down. They attacked the Israelite men and they chased them to Hormah.