The Spies
(Deuteronomy 1.19-33)1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Choose one of the leaders from each of the twelve tribes and send them as spies to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.” 3-15 Moses obeyed and from the wilderness of Paran he sent out leaders, as follows:
Tribe LeaderReuben Shammua son of ZaccurSimeon Shaphat son of HoriJudah Caleb son of JephunnehIssachar Igal son of JosephEphraim Hoshea son of NunBenjamin Palti son of RaphuZebulun Gaddiel son of SodiManasseh Gaddi son of SusiDan Ammiel son of GemalliAsher Sethur son of MichaelNaphtali Nahbi son of VophsiGad Geuel son of Machi
16 These are the spies Moses sent to explore the land. He changed the name of Hoshea son of Nun to Joshua.
17 When Moses sent them out, he said to them, “Go north from here into the southern part of the land of Canaan and then on into the hill country. 18 Find out what kind of country it is, how many people live there, and how strong they are. 19 Find out whether the land is good or bad and whether the people live in open towns or in fortified cities. 20 Find out whether the soil is fertile and whether the land is wooded. And be sure to bring back some of the fruit that grows there.” (It was the season when grapes were beginning to ripen.)
21 So the men went north and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin in the south all the way to Rehob, near Hamath Pass in the north. 22 They went first into the southern part of the land and came to Hebron, where the clans of Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of a race of giants called the Anakim, lived. (Hebron was founded seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 They came to Eshcol Valley, and there they cut off a branch which had one bunch of grapes on it so heavy that it took two men to carry it on a pole between them. They also brought back some pomegranates and figs. ( 24 That place was named Eshcol Valley because of the bunch of grapes the Israelites cut off there.)
25 After exploring the land for forty days, the spies returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had brought. 27 They told Moses, “We explored the land and found it to be rich and fertile; and here is some of its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and their cities are very large and well fortified. Even worse, we saw the descendants of the giants there. 29 Amalekites live in the southern part of the land; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and Canaanites live by the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan River.”
30 Caleb silenced the people who were complaining against Moses, and said, “We should attack now and take the land; we are strong enough to conquer it.”
31 But the men who had gone with Caleb said, “No, we are not strong enough to attack them; the people there are more powerful than we are.” 32 So they spread a false report among the Israelites about the land they had explored. They said, “That land doesn't even produce enough to feed the people who live there. Everyone we saw was very tall, 33 and we even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt as small as grasshoppers, and that is how we must have looked to them.”
1 Then afterwarde the people remooued from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wildernesse of Paran. 2 And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 3 Sende thou men out to search the lande of Canaan which I giue vnto the children of Israel: of euery tribe of their fathers shall ye sende a man, such as are all rulers among them. 4 Then Moses sent them out of the wildernesse of Paran at the commandement of the Lord: all those men were heades of the children of Israel. 5 Also their names are these: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the sonne of Zaccur: 6 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the sonne of Hori: 7 Of the tribe of Iudah, Caleb the sonne of Iephunneh: 8 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the sonne of Ioseph: 9 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the sone of Nun: 10 Of the tribe of Beniamin, Palti the sonne of Raphu: 11 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the sone of Sodi: 12 Of the tribe of Ioseph, to wit, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the sonne of Susi: 13 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the sonne of Gemalli: 14 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the sonne of Michael: 15 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the sonne of Vophsi: 16 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the sonne of Machi. 17 These are the names of the men, which Moses sent to spie out the lande: and Moses called ye name of Oshea the sonne of Nun, Iehoshua. 18 So Moses sent them to spie out the lande of Canaan, and said vnto them, Go vp this way toward the South, and go vp into the moutaines, 19 And consider the land what it is, and the people that dwel therein, whether they be strong or weake, either fewe or many, 20 Also what the lande is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad: and what cities they be, that they dwell in, whether they dwell in tents, or in walled townes: 21 And what the land is: whether it be fat or leane, whether there be trees therein, or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruite of the lande (for then was the time of the first ripe grapes) 22 So they went vp, and searched out the lande, from the wildernesse of Zin vnto Rehob, to go to Hamath, 23 And they ascended toward the South, and came vnto Hebron, where were Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the sonnes of Anak. And Hebron was built seuen yeere before Zoan in Egypt. 24 Then they came to the riuer of Eshcol, and cut downe thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it vpon a barre betweene two, and brought of the pomegranates and of the figges. 25 That place was called the riuer Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes, which the children of Israel cut downe thence. 26 Then after fourtie dayes, they turned againe from searching of the land. 27 And they went and came to Moses and to Aaron and vnto al the Congregation of the children of Israel, in the wildernesse of Paran, to Kadesh, and brought to the, and to all the Congregation tydings, and shewed them the fruite of the lande. 28 And they tolde him, and saide, We came vnto the land whither thou hast sent vs, and surely it floweth with milke and honie: and here is of the fruite of it. 29 Neuerthelesse the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled and exceeding great: and moreouer, we sawe the sonnes of Anak there. 30 The Amalekites dwell in the South countrey, and the Hittites, and the Iebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountaines, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Iorden. 31 Then Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and saide, Let vs go vp at once, and possesse it: for vndoubtedly we shall ouercome it. 32 But the men, that went vp with him, saide, we be not able to goe vp against the people: for they are stronger then we. 33 So they brought vp an euill report of the land which they had searched for the children of Israel, saying, The lande which we haue gone through to search it out, is a land that eateth vp the inhabitants thereof: for all the people that we sawe in it, are men of great stature. 34 For there we sawe gyants, the sonnes of Anak, which come of the gyants, so that we seemed in our sight like grashoppers: and so wee were in their sight.