Numbers 14

¹ After Israelites hear the report wey the twelve men wey go check Canaan land bring, dem cry all night

² and dem complain to Moses and Aaron say, “We wish say we don die for Egypt or for somewhere inside desert!

³ Shey God just dey lead us go Canaan, so that he go allow us die, and allow make dem capture our women and children? E for better make we dey Egypt.”

⁴ Dem come tell one another say, “Make we choose our own leader and go back.”

⁵ Moses and Aaron come bow down to pray for front of cloud.

⁶ Joshua and Caleb tear their cloth for sorrow

⁷ and say: We see the land ourselves, and e dey very good.

⁸ If we obey God, he go surely give us that land wey dey flow with milk and honey.

⁹ So make una no rebel. We no get any reason to fear the people wey dey live for there. God dey our side, and dem no fit stand against us!

¹⁰ Naso the people begin dey threaten say dem go stone Moses and Aaron to death. But God just show in cloud for Holy Tent.

¹¹ God tell Moses say, “I don do great things for these people, and dem still reject me as dem no believe my power.

¹² So dem no go be my people again. I go destroy them, but I go make you the ancestor of a nation wey even strong pass their own.”

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¹⁶ Moses come reply: You don rescue your people from Egypt with your mighty power, so abeg no destroy us for here in the desert. If you do, the Egyptians go hear about am and tell people of Canaan. Canaanites don already know say we be your people, and we dey see you face to face. And dem don hear how you dey lead us with thick cloud for day, and flaming fire for night. But, if you kill us, dem go claim say na because you no get enough power to lead us enter Canaan as you don promise.

¹⁷ Show us your great power, God. You promise

¹⁸ say you love to dey show mercy and kindness. And you talk say you dey very patient, but you go punish everyone wey dey guilty of doing wrong – no be only them, but their children and grandchildren too.

¹⁹ You dey merciful, and you dey treat people better than dem deserve. Abeg forgive these people, just as you don forgive them, since dem leave Egypt.

²⁰ God con tell Moses say, “To answer your prayer, I don forgive them.

²¹ But as I dey live and as my power no get limit,

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²³ I swear say not one of these Israelites go enter the land wey I promise to give their ancestors. These people don see my power for Egypt and for desert, but dem no go see Canaan. Dem don disobey and dem don test me.

²⁴ But my servant Caleb no be like others. So because he get faith in me, I go allow him enter Canaan, and him descendant go settle for there.

²⁵ Now hear me, Moses! The Amalekites and Canaanites dey live for valleys of Canaan. And tomorrow, una go need to turn around and begin dey go back to desert to Red Sea.

²⁶ God tell Moses and Aaron

27-28 make dem give this message to the people of Israel: You sinful people don complain about me too much! Now I dey swear by my own life say I go give una exactly wetin una want.

²⁹ Una go die for here inside desert, and una dead body go cover ground. Una don insult me, and none of una men wey don pass 20 years old

³⁰ go enter the land wey I don promise to give una – Only Caleb and Joshua go enter.

³¹ Una Dey worry say dem go capture una children. But, I the LORD, go let them enter the land wey una don reject.

³² Una go die here for desert!

³³ Una children go wander round this desert for 40 years, and una go suffer because of una sins, until all of una don die.

³⁴ I go punish una every day for next 40 years – one year for each day wey dem use check the land.

³⁵ Una sinful people wey gang up against me go die here in the desert.

³⁶ Ten of the men wey una send go check the land don make the people dey complain against God.

³⁷ Naso he send deadly disease that killed those men

³⁸ but he allow Joshua and Caleb live.

³⁹ The people of Israel dey very sad after Moses don give them God message.

⁴⁰ Naso dem get up early next morning and dem get ready to dey go toward the hill country of Canaan. Dem say, “We Dey wrong to complain about God. Make we go to the land wey he don promise us.”

⁴¹ But Moses reply, “Una dey disobey God! Una plan no go work,

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⁴³ so make una no try am. God no gree help una, because una don turn una backs on him. The Amalekites and Canaanites na una enemy, and dem go attack and defeat una.

⁴⁴ But the Israelites no answer Moses and dem match toward the hill country, even though the Covenant Box and Moses no go with them.

⁴⁵ The Amalekites and Canaanites come down from the hill country, dem defeat Israelites, and chase them far, take reach town of Hormah.