33. who journeys before you to find you a place to camp—by night in the fire, and by day in the cloud, to show you the way to go.
34. When the Lord heard your words, he was angry, and took an oath:
35. Not a single one of this evil generation shall look upon the good land I swore to give to your ancestors,
36. except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, for to him and to his descendants I will give the land he trod upon, because he has fully followed the Lord.
37. The Lord was angered against me also on your account, and said, You shall not enter there either,
38. but Joshua, son of Nun, your attendant, shall enter. Encourage him, for he is the one who is to give Israel its possession.
39. Your little ones, who you said would become plunder, and your children, who as yet do not know good from evil—they shall enter there; to them I will give it, and they shall take possession of it.
40. But as for yourselves: turn back and proceed into the wilderness on the Red Sea road.
41. In reply you said to me, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up ourselves and fight, just as the Lord, our God, commanded us.” And each of you girded on his weapons, making light of going up into the hill country.
42. But the Lord said to me, Warn them: Do not go up and fight—for I will not be in your midst—lest you be beaten down before your enemies.
43. I gave you this warning but you would not listen. You defied the Lord’s command and arrogantly went off into the hill country.
44. Then the Amorites living in that hill country came out against you and put you to flight the way bees do, cutting you down in Seir as far as Hormah.
45. On your return you wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice or give ear to you.
46. That is why you had to stay as long as you did at Kadesh.