37. The Lord was even angry with me because of you people, and he said, “Moses, I won't let you go into the land either.
38. Instead, I will let Joshua your assistant lead Israel to conquer the land. So encourage him.”
39. Then the Lord spoke to you again:People of Israel, you said that your innocent young children would be taken prisoner in the battle for the land. But some day I will let them go into the land, and with my help they will conquer it and live there.
40. Now, turn round and go back into the desert by way of Red Sea Road.
41. Then you told me, “We disobeyed the Lord our God, but now we want to obey him. We will go into the hill country and fight, just as he told us to do.” So you picked up your weapons, thinking it would be easy to take over the hill country.
42. But the Lord said, “Moses, warn them not to go into the hill country. I won't help them fight, and their enemies will defeat them.”
43. I told you what the Lord had said, but you paid no attention. You disobeyed him and went into the hill country anyway. You thought you were so great!
44. But when the Amorites in the hill country attacked from their towns, you ran from them as you would run from a swarm of bees. The Amorites chased your troops into Seir as far as Hormah, killing them as they went.
45. Then you came back to the place of worship at Kadesh-Barnea and wept, but the Lord would not listen to your prayers.
46. After we had been in Kadesh for a few months, we obeyed the Lord and headed back into the desert by way of Red Sea Road.