LESSON XXII

THE WANDERINGS

The Israelites are fed in the wilderness by a miraculous supply of manna and quails. Their ingratitude. Moses sends spies into Canaan, who bring a discouraging report. The Israelites are defeated at Hormah by the Canaanites.

NUMBERS X. 29-XIV. 45

10 29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart 5 to mine own land, and to my kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we 10 do unto thee.

33 And they set forward from the mount of the LORD three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the LORD was over them by day, 15 when they set forward from the camp.

35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the ten thousands of 20 the thousands of Israel.

11 1 And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the

ears of the LORD: and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and 25 devoured in the uttermost part of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto the LORD, and the fire abated. And the name of that place was called Taberah : because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

4 And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a 30 lusting and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all: we have nought 35 save this manna to look to. And the manna was like coriander

seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium. The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and seethed it in pots, and made cakes of it and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And 40 when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it. And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased. And Moses said unto the LORD, Whence should I have flesh 45 to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

16 And the LORD said unto Moses, say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh : for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall 50 give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye 55 have rejected the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall flocks and herds

be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the 60 sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD's hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD. And there went forth a wind 65 from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth. And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and 70 gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD Smote the people with a very great plague. 75 And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah : because there they buried the people that lusted. From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth. [12 16] And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of 80 Paran.

13 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them. [17] And 85 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way by the South, and go up into the mountains and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, whether they be few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, 90 whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strong holds; and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes. 95 So they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron; and

Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it 100 upon a staff between two; they brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs. That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. And they went and came to Moses, 105 and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it 110 floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. How

beit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fenced, and very great and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. Amalek dwelleth in the land of the South : and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in 115 the mountains: and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along by the side of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; 120 for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. 125 And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, which come of the Nephilim and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

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14 1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of 130 Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron and the

whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore doth the LORD bring us unto this

land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones shall be a prey were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 135 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

26 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of 140 Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As I live, saith the LORD, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have mur- 145 mured against me, surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I lifted up my hand that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye 150 have rejected. And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said, 155 Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD, seeing it shall not prosper? Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies. For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned 160 back from following the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you. But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite which dwelt in that mountain, 165 and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.