Numbers chapter .xiij.
¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses saying:
Send men out to search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers a man and let them all be such as are rulers among them.
And Moses at the commandment of the LORD sent forth out of the wilderness of Pharan: such men as were all heads among the children of Israel, whose names are these:
In the tribe of Ruben, Sammua the son of Zacur:
In the tribe of Simeon, Saphat the son of Hori.
In the tribe of Iuda, Caleph the son of Iephune.
In the tribe of Isachar, Igeal the son of Ioseph.
In the tribe of Ephraim, Hosea the son of Nun.
In the tribe of BenIamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
In the tribe of Zabulon, Gadiel the son of Sodi.
In the tribe of Ioseph: In the tribe of Manasse, Gaddi the son of Susi.
In the tribe of Dan, Amiel the son of Gemali.
In the tribe of Asser, Sethur the son of Micheel.
In the tribe of Nephtali, Nahebi the son of Uaphsi.
In the tribe of Gad, Guel the son of Machi.
These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called the name of Hosea the son of Nun, Iosua.
And Moses sent them forth to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them: get you southward and go up into the high country,
and see the land what manner thing it is and the people that dwelleth therein: whether they be strong or weak, either few or many,
and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad, and what manner of cities they dwell in: whether they dwell in tents or walled towns,
and what manner of land it is: whether it be fat or lean, and whether there be trees therein or not. And be of a good courage, and bring of the fruits of the land. And it was about the time that grapes are first ripe.
¶ And they went up and searched out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob as men go to Hemath,
and they ascended unto the south and came unto Hebron, where Ahiman was and Sefai and Thalmani the sons of Enack. Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
And they came unto the river of Escol and they cut down there a branch with one cluster of grapes and bare it upon a staff between twain, and also of the pomegranates and of the figs of the place.
The river was called Escol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down there.
And they turned back again from searching the land, at forty days' end.
¶ And they went and came to Moses and Aaron and unto all the multitude of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Pharan: even unto Cades, and brought them word and also unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
And they told him saying: we came unto the land whither thou sendedst us, and surely it is a land that floweth with milk and honey and here is of the fruit of it.
Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled and exceeding great, and moreover we saw the children of Enack there.
The Amaleks dwell in the south country, and the Hethites, Iebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Cananites dwell by the sea and along by the coast of Iordan.
And Caleb stilled the murmur of the people against Moses saying: let us go up and conquer it, for we be able to overcome it.
But the men that went up with him, said: We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we:
And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched, unto the children of Israel saying: The land which we have gone thorow to search it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabiters thereof, and the people that we saw in it are men of stature.
And there we saw also giants, the children of Enack which are of the giants. And we seemed in our sight as it were grasshoppers and so we did in their sight.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.