אִם־חָפֵ֥ץ בָּ֙נוּ֙ יְהוָ֔ה וְהֵבִ֤יא אֹתָ֙נוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וּנְתָנָ֖הּ לָ֑נוּ אֶ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־הִ֛וא זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃

As for your concerns, if the Lord is favorably disposed to us, He will bring us to this land and will give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. The land is excellent, and our success depends only on God’s will.

אַ֣ךְ בַּֽיהוָה֮ אַל־תִּמְרֹדוּ֒ וְאַתֶּ֗ם אַל־תִּֽירְאוּ֙ אֶת־עַ֣ם הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּ֥י לַחְמֵ֖נוּ הֵ֑ם סָ֣ר צִלָּ֧ם מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֛ם וַֽיהוָ֥ה אִתָּ֖נוּ אַל־תִּירָאֻֽם׃

However, do not rebel against the Lord by refusing to enter the land. And you, who have received a direct promise from God, do not fear the people of the land, even if others might justifiably do so, as they are like our bread; our triumph over them will be as simple as eating bread. Their protection has withdrawn from them, and they have nowhere to shelter and take refuge, and by contrast the Lord is with us; therefore, do not fear them.

וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ כָּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה לִרְגּ֥וֹם אֹתָ֖ם בָּאֲבָנִ֑ים וּכְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֗ה נִרְאָה֙ בְּאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד אֶֽל־כָּל־בְּנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (פ)

The entire congregation said to stone them, referring to Joshua and Caleb and perhaps also to Moses and Aaron, with stones, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה עַד־אָ֥נָה יְנַאֲצֻ֖נִי הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה וְעַד־אָ֙נָה֙ לֹא־יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ בִ֔י בְּכֹל֙ הָֽאֹת֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃

It appears that Moses went to the Tent of Meeting, and then the Lord said to Moses: Until when will this people scorn and profane Me, and until when will they not believe in Me, with, and despite, all the signs and miracles that I have performed in their midst?

אַכֶּ֥נּוּ בַדֶּ֖בֶר וְאוֹרִשֶׁ֑נּוּ וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂה֙ אֹֽתְךָ֔ לְגוֹי־גָּד֥וֹל וְעָצ֖וּם מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃

Because of their obstinacy, I will smite them, with the pestilence, and I will destroy them, and will make you, Moses, into a nation greater and mightier than they. God thereby indicated His intention to destroy the people, and to wait for a new nation to evolve from Moses’ descendants. Although this nation would in some way be the continuation of the children of Israel, in a more direct sense it would be a new nation called the children of Moses.

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־יְהוָ֑ה וְשָׁמְע֣וּ מִצְרַ֔יִם כִּֽי־הֶעֱלִ֧יתָ בְכֹחֲךָ֛ אֶת־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה מִקִּרְבּֽוֹ׃

Moses said to the Lord: Egypt will hear what has happened, that You took up this people of Israel with Your might from its midst.

וְאָמְר֗וּ אֶל־יוֹשֵׁב֮ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּאת֒ שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה בְּקֶ֖רֶב הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה אֲשֶׁר־עַ֨יִן בְּעַ֜יִן נִרְאָ֣ה ׀ אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֗ה וַעֲנָֽנְךָ֙ עֹמֵ֣ד עֲלֵהֶ֔ם וּבְעַמֻּ֣ד עָנָ֗ן אַתָּ֨ה הֹלֵ֤ךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם֙ יוֹמָ֔ם וּבְעַמּ֥וּד אֵ֖שׁ לָֽיְלָה׃

And if You destroy them, they will then say to, meaning about, the inhabitants of this land of Canaan, to which the children of Israel were supposed to go; until now they, the Egyptians, had heard that You, the Lord, are to be found in the midst of this people; that with their very eyes You, the Lord, were seen by that people, and Your cloud stands over them; and in a pillar of cloud You go before them by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

וְהֵמַתָּ֛ה אֶת־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה כְּאִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֑ד וְאָֽמְרוּ֙ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמְע֥וּ אֶֽת־שִׁמְעֲךָ֖ לֵאמֹֽר׃

But if You now suddenly kill this people as one man in a plague, the Egyptians and the nations that have heard of Your renown will wonder why You have done that. They will conclude that You must have lacked the power to fulfill your promise to them, and say that You therefore killed them. They will thereby desecrate Your name, saying:

מִבִּלְתִּ֞י יְכֹ֣לֶת יְהוָ֗ה לְהָבִיא֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣ע לָהֶ֑ם וַיִּשְׁחָטֵ֖ם בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃

Although the Lord did manage to take them out of Egypt, at this time He lacks ability to bring this people into the land with regard to which He took an oath to them. He is obviously unable to defeat the nations of Canaan, and for that reason He slaughtered them in the wilderness.

וְעַתָּ֕ה יִגְדַּל־נָ֖א כֹּ֣חַ אֲדֹנָ֑י כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתָּ לֵאמֹֽר׃

Now, therefore, please, let the might of my Lord be great. Let Your power be revealed to Israel in a more exalted and loftier way, as You spoke and promised me, by teaching Me Your attributes of mercy after the sin of the Golden Calf, saying:

יְהוָ֗ה אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֖ן וָפָ֑שַׁע וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֞ד עֲוֺ֤ן אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים׃

The Lord is patient and slow to anger and abounding in kindness, bearing iniquity and transgression. But at the same time, though, He will not completely exonerate the iniquity. Although God awaits the sinner’s repentance and the sin is then forgiven, it is not entirely cleansed. Rather, He will continue reckoning the iniquity of the fathers and enacting restitution for it upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. God is exceedingly merciful, and consequently does not punish one’s descendants eternally for their forefathers’ sins. But He also does not bring the complete punishment upon the sinner at one time, as this would lead to the sinner’s total destruction. Instead, He extends the punishment over several generations and places some of the burden upon the sinner’s descendants, but only until the fourth generation. Furthermore, if the children refrain from committing additional sins, and thereby refrain from evoking the memory of their ancestor’s iniquity, the sin is erased completely and they are not punished at all. These attributes of God are similar to the ones God Himself mentioned in Exodus 34, after the sin of the Golden Calf. However, there are some differences between them; see the chart below.

סְלַֽח־נָ֗א לַעֲוֺ֛ן הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה כְּגֹ֣דֶל חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וְכַאֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֙אתָה֙ לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם וְעַד־הֵֽנָּה׃

Please pardon the iniquity of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your kindness, and reduce their severe punishment to a lighter penalty, as You have patiently borne and forgiven the sin of this people, from Egypt until now.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה סָלַ֖חְתִּי כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ׃

The Lord said: I have pardoned in accordance with your word, as you requested, since your reasoning is valid. Moses’ prayer succeeded insofar as God annulled the original decree to destroy the entire people at once and replace them with a new nation descended from Moses.

וְאוּלָ֖ם חַי־אָ֑נִי וְיִמָּלֵ֥א כְבוֹד־יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

However, as I live, I swear by My life, the entire earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. This was an additional expression of an oath:

כִּ֣י כָל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הָרֹאִ֤ים אֶת־כְּבֹדִי֙ וְאֶת־אֹ֣תֹתַ֔י אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֥יתִי בְמִצְרַ֖יִם וּבַמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיְנַסּ֣וּ אֹתִ֗י זֶ֚ה עֶ֣שֶׂר פְּעָמִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּקוֹלִֽי׃

For all the people who have seen My glory, and My signs, which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, meaning the entire people of Israel, and they have tested Me these ten times, and have not heeded My voice,

אִם־יִרְאוּ֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתִּי לַאֲבֹתָ֑ם וְכָל־מְנַאֲצַ֖י לֹ֥א יִרְאֽוּהָ׃

I swear that they shall not see the land with regard to which I took an oath to their fathers. And certainly all those who scorned Me, whether they were among those who incited others to rebel, or were themselves incited by others; whether they were seized by terror as a result of the negative report they heard from the scouts, or they objected to Moses’ leadership for personal reasons; they all shall not see it.

וְעַבְדִּ֣י כָלֵ֗ב עֵ֣קֶב הָֽיְתָ֞ה ר֤וּחַ אַחֶ֙רֶת֙ עִמּ֔וֹ וַיְמַלֵּ֖א אַחֲרָ֑י וַהֲבִֽיאֹתִ֗יו אֶל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֣א שָׁ֔מָּה וְזַרְע֖וֹ יוֹרִשֶֽׁנָּה׃

But in contrast to them, My servant Caleb, because another spirit was with him, and although he had been one of the scouts, he remained fully faithful to My wishes and commands and he followed Me wholeheartedly, will I therefore bring him at a future time to the land into which he already came. This time he will enter the land as a conqueror, and his descendants shall take possession of it.

וְהָֽעֲמָלֵקִ֥י וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּעֵ֑מֶק מָחָ֗ר פְּנ֨וּ וּסְע֥וּ לָכֶ֛ם הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר דֶּ֥רֶךְ יַם־סֽוּף׃ (פ)

If you insist on trying to enter the land despite My decree, you will not succeed, as the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley, and they will prevent you from entering. Therefore, tomorrow, turn back and travel you to the wilderness, and travel back by way of the Red Sea.