17. As he sent them to explore the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there through the Negev, then go up into the hill country.
18. See what the land is like and the people living there, whether they might be strong or weak, few or many.
19. In what kind of land are they living? Is it good or bad? Also, what about the cities in which they are living? Are they unwalled or do they have fortifications?
20. How is the soil—fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)
21. So they went up and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob the entrance of Hamath.
22. They continued on up through the Negev and came to Hebron. There lived Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23. When they reached as far as the Valley of Eshcol, they cut a single branch with a cluster of grapes. It was carried on a pole between two of them. They also cut some pomegranates and some figs.
24. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster cut by Bnei-Yisrael.
25. They returned from investigating the land after 40 days.
26. They traveled and returned to Moses, Aaron and the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They gave their report to them and the entire assembly. They showed the land’s fruit.
27. They gave their account to him and said, “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey—this is some of its fruit.
28. Except, the people living in the land are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw the sons of Anak there!
29. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites are living in the mountains, and the Canaanites are living near the sea and along the bank of the Jordan.”
30. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “We should definitely go up and capture the land, for we can certainly do it!”