36. The men whom Moses sent to investigate the land, who returned and made the whole community murmur against him by producing an evil report about the land,
37. those men who produced the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord.
38. But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among the men who went to investigate the land, lived.
39. When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, the people mourned greatly.
40. And early in the morning they went up to the crest of the hill country, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place that the Lord commanded, for we have sinned.”
41. But Moses said, “Why are you now transgressing the commandment of the Lord? It will not succeed!
42. Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, and you will be defeated before your enemies.
43. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”
44. But they dared to go up to the crest of the hill, although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp.
45. So the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country swooped down and attacked them as far as Hormah.