16
Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.
17
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'
18
And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.
19
"So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea.
20
And I said to you, 'You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.
21
Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.'
22
And everyone of you came near to me and said, 'Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.'
23
The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.
24
And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out.
25
They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, 'It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.'
26
"Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God;