New American Bible, Revised Edition

Numbers 13:14-30 New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)

14. from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi, son of Vophsi;

15. from the tribe of Gad, Geuel, son of Machi.

16. These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to reconnoiter the land. But Hoshea, son of Nun, Moses called Joshua.

17. In sending them to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, Moses said to them, “Go up there in the Negeb, up into the highlands,

18. and see what kind of land it is and whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many.

19. Is the country in which they live good or bad? Are the towns in which they dwell open or fortified?

20. Is the soil fertile or barren, wooded or clear? And do your best to get some of the fruit of the land.” It was then the season for early grapes.

21. So they went up and reconnoitered the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as where Rehob adjoins Lebo-hamath.

22. Going up by way of the Negeb, they reached Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, descendants of the Anakim, were. (Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23. They also reached the Wadi Eshcol, where they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes on it, which two of them carried on a pole, as well as some pomegranates and figs.

24. It was because of the cluster the Israelites cut there that they called the place Wadi Eshcol.

25. They returned from reconnoitering the land forty days later.

26. Proceeding directly to Moses and Aaron and the whole community of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, they made a report to them and to the whole community, showing them the fruit of the land.

27. They told Moses: “We came to the land to which you sent us. It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.

28. However, the people who are living in the land are powerful, and the towns are fortified and very large. Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there.

29. Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb; Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites dwell in the highlands, and Canaanites along the sea and the banks of the Jordan.”

30. Caleb, however, quieted the people before Moses and said, “We ought to go up and seize the land, for we can certainly prevail over it.”