The command to leave Horeb
1These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan – that is, in the Arabah – opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2(It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
3In 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. 4This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
5East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:
6The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighbouring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers – to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and to their descendants after them.’
The appointment of leaders
9At that time I said to you, ‘You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. 10The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! 12But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? 13Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.’
14You answered me, ‘What you propose to do is good.’
15So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you – as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. 17Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.’ 18And at that time I told you everything you were to do.
Spies sent out
19Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went towards the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20Then I said to you, ‘You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’
22Then all of you came to me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.’
23The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it. 25Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’
Rebellion against the Lord
26But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, “The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.” ’
29Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’
32In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.
34When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35‘No-one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’
37Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, ‘You shall not enter it, either. 38But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad – they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40But as for you, turn round and set out towards the desert along the route to the Red Sea.1:40 Or the Sea of Reeds’
41Then you replied, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.’ So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
42But the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.” ’
43So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah. 45You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. 46And so you stayed in Kadesh many days – all the time you spent there.
前言
1以下是摩西對以色列人說的話。當時以色列人在約旦河東的曠野、疏弗對面的亞拉巴，即巴蘭、陀弗、拉班、哈洗錄和底撒哈之間。 2從何烈山取道西珥山到加低斯·巴尼亞，需十一天。 3在離開埃及後第四十年的十一月一日，摩西把耶和華的一切吩咐告訴了以色列人。 4那時，他已經打敗了希實本的亞摩利王西宏以及盤踞在以得來和亞斯她錄的巴珊王噩。 5摩西在約旦河東的摩押講解律法，說： 6「我們的上帝耶和華在何烈山對我們說，『你們在這裡已經住了多日， 7現在該啟程前往亞摩利人的山區、亞拉巴地區、山地、丘陵、南地、沿海一帶、迦南和黎巴嫩，直到幼發拉底河。 8看啊，我把那片土地賜給你們了，你們去佔領吧，那是耶和華起誓賜給你們祖先亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各和他們後裔的地方。』
摩西設立首領
9「那時，我對你們說，『我無法獨自承擔管理你們的重任， 10因為你們的上帝耶和華使你們人丁興旺，以致今天人數多如天上的星星。 11願你們祖先的上帝耶和華使你們人數更增千倍，照祂的應許賜福給你們。 12但我怎能獨自擔當解決你們問題和爭端的重任呢？ 13你們要從各支派中選出有智慧、有見識、受尊重的人，我要立他們做你們的首領。』 14你們都同意這樣的做法。 15於是，我把各支派中有智慧和受敬重的人立為你們的首領，即千夫長、百夫長、五十夫長、十夫長和其他官長，治理你們。 16我吩咐這些官員要聆聽案件，公正地審理同胞之間或與外族人之間的訴訟， 17不可偏私，不分貴賤，不懼情面，因為判決來自上帝。如果案件太難，可以交給我處理。 18那時，我把一切當行之事都告訴了你們。
派人打探迦南
19「我們照我們上帝耶和華的吩咐，從何烈山出發，走過你們所見的那大而可怕的曠野，前往亞摩利山區，來到加低斯·巴尼亞。 20我對你們說，『我們的上帝耶和華賜給我們的亞摩利山區到了。 21看啊，你們祖先的上帝耶和華已把那片土地賜給你們，你們要照著祂的應許去佔領那裡，不要懼怕，不要氣餒。』 22你們來對我說，『我們要先派人去打探那地方，回來好告訴我們當走哪條路，當佔哪些城。』 23我同意你們的建議，便從你們當中選出十二人，每支派選一人。 24他們前往山區，到了以實各谷，打探那地方。 25他們帶回來一些那裡的果子，稟告說，『我們的上帝耶和華賜給我們的地方很好。』
26「但你們卻違背你們上帝耶和華的命令，不肯上去。 27你們在帳篷中埋怨說，『耶和華憎恨我們，所以才領我們離開埃及，要把我們交在亞摩利人手裡，讓他們消滅我們。 28我們怎能上去呢？那些弟兄的報告令我們膽戰心驚，他們說那裡的人比我們高大，城邑雄偉，城牆高達雲霄，還有亞衲人在那裡。』 29我對你們說，『不要驚慌，不要怕他們。 30你們的上帝耶和華必帶領你們，為你們爭戰，正如祂當著你們的面在埃及所行的一樣。 31你們在曠野曾目睹你們的上帝耶和華像父親抱兒子一樣，一路把你們抱到這地方。』 32-33祂為你們開路，為你們找安營的地方，夜間用火柱、白天用雲柱為你們引路。儘管如此，你們還是不信靠你們的上帝耶和華。
懲罰叛逆
34「你們的埋怨惹耶和華發怒，祂起誓說， 35『這邪惡的一代沒有一人能看見我起誓要賜給他們祖先的佳美之地， 36只有耶孚尼的兒子迦勒能看見，我必把他所踏之地賜給他和他的後代，因為他全心全意地跟從我。』 37因為你們的緣故，耶和華也向我發怒，說，『你也不能進入那片土地， 38但你的助手——嫩的兒子約書亞可以進入。你要鼓勵他，因為他將帶領以色列承受那片土地。 39你們說你們的子女會被擄去，但這些還不知善惡的孩子都將進入那片土地，我要把那裡賜給他們，他們將佔領那裡。 40而你們要掉頭，沿紅海的路回到曠野。』
41「於是，你們對我說，『我們得罪了耶和華，現在我們願意遵從我們的上帝耶和華的吩咐，上去作戰。』你們便各自拿起兵器，以為可以輕易攻佔山區。 42但耶和華讓我告訴你們，『不要上去作戰，以免被敵人擊敗，因為耶和華不會與你們同在。』 43我把耶和華的話轉告了你們，但你們不聽，違背耶和華的命令，擅自前往山區。 44住在山區的亞摩利人蜂擁出擊，打敗了你們，從西珥追殺你們，一直追到何珥瑪。 45你們回來在耶和華面前哭泣，但耶和華不理會你們的哭聲。 46因此，你們在加低斯住了很久。
