Numbers 14 – NIV & BPH

New International Version

Numbers 14:1-45

The People Rebel

1That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

5Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

10But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? 12I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”

13Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’

17“Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ 19In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”

20The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.14:25 Or the Sea of Reeds

26The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27“How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”

36So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it— 37these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

39When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!”

41But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! 42Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.”

44Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. 45Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

Bibelen på hverdagsdansk

4. Mosebog 14:1-45

Folk gør oprør på grund af vantro

1Da brød hele folket ud i klageråb, og de græd og klagede hele natten. 2Derefter gik de hen til Moses og Aron og beklagede sig: „Gid vi var døde i Egypten—eller endda her i ørkenen. 3Hvorfor har Herren ført os hertil, når vi skal dø i krig og vores koner og børn føres bort som slaver. Lad os dog vende om og se at komme tilbage til Egypten.” 4Længslen efter Egypten bredte sig i lejren. „Ja, lad os vælge en anden leder og vende tilbage til Egypten!” blev der råbt.

5Da kastede Moses og Aron sig ned foran folket med ansigtet mod jorden, 6og to af spionerne—Josva og Kaleb—som havde været inde og udspejde landet, rev flænger i deres tøj af fortvivlelse over folkets oprør. 7„Begriber I ikke, at det er et vidunderligt land?” råbte de. 8„Hvis vi er lydige mod Herren, vil han føre os ind i landet og give det til os. Det er et fantastisk frugtbart land, der i den grad ‚flyder med mælk og honning’. 9Hvorfor vil I gøre oprør imod Herren? Hvorfor er I bange for landets indbyggere? Vi kan sagtens indtage landet, for Herren er med os, mens de er uden beskyttelse. Hvad er I bange for?”

10Josvas og Kalebs ord gjorde kun ondt værre, og folket talte allerede om at stene dem. Da viste Herrens herlighed sig pludselig over åbenbaringsteltet, 11og Herren sagde til Moses: „Hvor længe skal det her folk have lov til at foragte mig? Hvor længe vil de nægte at tro på mig, selv efter alle de undere, jeg har udført iblandt dem? 12Jeg vil sende sygdom imod dem og udrydde dem, og så vil jeg begynde forfra med dig og gøre dig til et endnu mægtigere folk end dem.”

Moses går i forbøn for folket

13„Men hvad vil egypterne sige, når de hører om det?” indvendte Moses. „De så jo din vældige kraft demonstreret, da du befriede dit folk. 14Indbyggerne i dette land er også allerede klar over, at du bor blandt dit folk Israel og taler til dem ansigt til ansigt. De har hørt om skysøjlen, der går foran os om dagen, og ildsøjlen, der lyser for os om natten. 15Men hvis du nu udrydder dit folk, vil disse nationer sige: 16‚Herren dræbte sit folk, fordi han ikke var i stand til at føre dem ind i det land, han havde lovet dem.’ 17Herre, vis nu din storhed ved at stå ved de ord, du har udtalt: 18at du sjældent bliver vred, og at din trofasthed er stor. Du tilgiver mennesker deres synd og oprør, også selv om den skyldige skal straffes og fædrenes synd får konsekvenser indtil tredje eller fjerde slægtled. 19Jeg trygler dig, Herre: Vis din trofasthed og nåde imod dette folk, så du tilgiver dem deres synd, sådan som du har tilgivet dem hele vejen, siden de forlod Egypten.”

20Da svarede Herren: „Godt, jeg vil tilgive dem, sådan som du har bedt om. 21Men så sandt jeg er den levende Gud, så sandt min herlighed fylder hele jorden, 22så skal ingen af de mænd, som har været vidne til de undere, jeg gjorde i Egypten og i ørkenen, og som nu for tiende gang har provokeret mig med deres ulydighed, 23få det land at se, som jeg lovede deres forfædre. Ingen af dem, der har vist mig foragt, skal få landet at se. 24Men min tjener Kaleb har en anden ånd end resten af folket, og han har bevist sin lydighed imod mig. Derfor skal han få lov til at komme ind i landet, og hans efterkommere skal tage deres del i besiddelse. 25Da nu amalekitterne og kana’anæerne bor i lavlandet,14,25 Dvs. de har blokeret alle indfaldsveje til det lovede land. skal I i morgen tidlig bryde op og vende tilbage til ørkenen ad vejen mod Det Røde Hav.”

Herrens straf over det vantro folk

26Herren sagde til Moses og Aron: 27„Hvor længe skal jeg finde mig i, at det her onde folk hele tiden beklager sig? Jeg har set deres oprør og hørt deres beklagelser. 28Giv dem nu følgende besked fra mig: Så sandt jeg lever, skal I få, hvad I har bedt om: 29I skal få lov at dø i ørkenen—alle I, der er over 20 år, I, der beklagede jer over mig. 30Ingen af jer skal nå ind i det land, som jeg svor at give til jer—bortset fra Kaleb og Josva. 31I sagde, at jeres børn ville blive taget til fange og gjort til slaver; men jeg siger, at det bliver dem, der går ind og tager det land i besiddelse, som I har vraget, 32mens I selv skal dø i ørkenen.

33Jeres børn skal vokse op som nomader, mens I vandrer rundt i ørkenen i 40 år, indtil den sidste af jer, som gjorde oprør, er død. Det er resultatet af jeres troløshed. 34Ligesom spionerne vandrede rundt i landet i 40 dage, skal I vandre rundt i ørkenen i 40 år—ét år for hver dag er straffen for jeres synd. På den måde vil jeg lære jer, hvilke konsekvenser det får, når I forkaster mig. 35Jeg, Herren, har talt. Sådan vil jeg gøre mod dette onde folk, som har rottet sig sammen imod mig og derfor skal dø her i ørkenen.”

36-38De ti spioner, som havde foranlediget oprøret imod Herren ved at sprede frygt blandt folket, faldt derefter døde om for Herrens ansigt; kun Josva og Kaleb var tilbage. 39Og da Moses bekendtgjorde Herrens ord til folket, blev de grebet af dyb sorg.

40Men tidligt næste morgen var de klar til at drage af sted mod løfternes land. „Vi tog fejl,” sagde de, „men nu er vi parat til at gå ind i det land, Herren har lovet os.”

41„Nej,” svarede Moses, „I har forspildt jeres chance. Vil I nu synde igen ved at gøre oprør mod Herrens ordre om at vende tilbage til ørkenen? 42Gå ikke ind i landet nu, for Herren er ikke med jer. Gør I det alligevel, vil I blot blive slået af fjenderne. 43Amalekitterne og kana’anæerne vil besejre jer. Når I vender jer fra Herren, vender han sig fra jer.”

44Alligevel satte de kursen mod bjerglandet, selv om pagtens ark og Moses blev tilbage i lejren. 45Men de amalekitter og kana’anæere, der boede på vejen til bjerglandet, rykkede ud mod dem, slog dem og forfulgte dem helt til Horma.