Numbers 13

1Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2Send men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel; send one man from each of their fathers' tribes, every one a leader among them.

3Moses dispatched them from the Paran wilderness at Yahweh's command—all leading men, chiefs among the Israelites.

4These were their names: from Reuben's tribe, Shammua son of Zaccur.

5From Simeon's tribe, Shaphat son of Hori.

6From the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh.

7From the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph.

8From the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun.

9Palti, Raphu's son, from Benjamin's tribe.

10From Zebulun's tribe, Gaddiel son of Sodi.

11From the tribe of Joseph, from Manasseh's tribe, Gaddi son of Susi.

12From the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli.

13From Asher's tribe, Sethur son of Michael.

14From the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi.

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

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

17Moses sent them to explore the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go up this way through the Negev, and ascend the hill country."

18See the land—what it is—and the people dwelling on it, whether they are strong or weak, few or many.

19How is the land where they dwell—good or bad? And how are the cities where they dwell—in camps or strongholds?

20What the land is like—fertile or lean, whether trees grow there or none—strengthen yourselves and bring some of its fruit. It was the season for early grapes.

21They went up and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath.

22They ascended through the Negev and arrived at Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, sons of Anak, were there. Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.

23They came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut a branch from there with one cluster of grapes, carrying it between two on a pole; they also took some pomegranates and figs.

24That place was called the Brook Eshcol because of the cluster the children of Israel cut from there.

25They returned from scouting the land after forty days.

26They set out and arrived at Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel's sons in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, brought word back to them and to the entire assembly, and showed them the fruit of the land.

27They reported to him and said, "We came to the land you sent us to, and it indeed flows with milk and honey; this is its fruit."

28However, the people inhabiting the land are mighty, and the cities are fortified and immensely large; even the sons of Anak we saw there.

29Amalekites dwell in the southern land, Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the mountains, and Canaanites dwell by the sea and beside the Jordan.

30Caleb hushed the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up and take possession of it, for we can—we are able."

31But the men who went up with him said, "We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we."

32They spread a slanderous report of the land they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, "The land we passed through to spy it out is one devouring its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in its midst are men of great stature."

33There we saw the Nephilim, sons of Anak from the Nephilim, and we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were in their eyes.