20. The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, just as you asked.
21. You can be sure that I live. You can be sure that my glory fills the whole earth.
22. "And you can be just as sure that these men will not see the land I promised to give them. They have seen my glory. They have seen the miraculous signs I did in Egypt. And they have seen what I did in the desert. But they did not obey me. And they have put me to the test ten times.
23. So not even one of them will ever see the land I promised with an oath to give to their people of long ago. No one who has made fun of me will ever see it.
24. "But my servant Caleb has a different spirit. He follows me with his whole heart. So I will bring him into the land he went to. And his children after him will receive land there.
25. "The Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys. So turn back tomorrow. Start out toward the desert. Go along the way that leads to the Red Sea."
26. The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,
27. "How long will this evil community speak against me? I have heard these Israelites talk about how unhappy they are.
28. So tell them, 'Here is what I, the Lord, am announcing. You can be sure that I live. And you can be just as sure that I will do to you the very things that I heard you say.
29. " 'You will die in this desert. Every one of you who is 20 years old or more will die. Every one of you who was counted in the list of the people will die. Every one of you who has spoken out against me will be wiped out.
30. I lifted up my hand and promised with an oath to make this land your home. But now not all of you will enter the land. Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, will enter it. So will Joshua, the son of Nun. They are the only ones who will enter the land.
31. " 'You have said that your enemies would capture your children. But I will bring your children in to enjoy the land you have turned your backs on.
32. As for you, you will die in the desert.
33. Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years. They will suffer because you were not faithful. They will suffer until the last of your bodies lies here in the desert.
34. For 40 years you will suffer for your sins. That is one year for each of the 40 days you checked out the land. You will know what it is like to have me against you.'
35. "I, the Lord, have spoken. You can be sure that I will do those things to this whole evil community. They have joined together against me. They will meet their end in this desert. They will die here."
36. So the Lord struck down the men Moses had sent to check out the land. They had returned and had spread a bad report about the land. And that had made the whole community speak out against Moses.
37. Those men were to blame for spreading the bad report. So the Lord struck them down. They died of a plague.
38. Only two of the men who went to check out the land remained alive. One of them was Joshua, the son of Nun. The other was Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.
39. Moses reported to all of the people of Israel what the Lord had said. And they became very sad.