1 And the people set out from Hazeroth, and they pitched their tents in the desert of Paran.
2 And there, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
3 Send men, who may examine the land of Canaan, which I will give to the sons of Israel, one from the rulers of each tribe.
4 Moses did what the Lord had commanded, sending, from the desert of Paran, leading men, whose names are these:
5 from the tribe of Ruben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;
6 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;
7 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;
8 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;
9 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hosea the son of Nun;
10 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;
11 from the tribe of Zebulon, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;
12 from the tribe of Joseph, of the scepter of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;
13 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;
14 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;
15 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;
16 from the tribe of Gad, Guel the son of Machi.
17 These are the names of the men, whom Moses sent to examine the land. And he called Hosea, the son of Nun, Joshua.
18 And so, Moses sent them to examine the land of Canaan, and he said to them: “Ascend by the south side. And when you arrive at the mountains,
19 consider the land, as to what kind it may be, and the people, who are its inhabitants, whether they may be strong or weak, whether they may be few in number or many,
20 and the land itself, whether it is good or bad, what kind of cities, walled or without walls,
21 the soil, rich or barren, forested or without trees. Be strong, and bring us some of the fruits of the land.” Now it was the time when the first ripe grapes were ready to be eaten.
22 And when they had ascended, they explored the land from the desert of Sin, all the way to Rehob, as one enters into Hamath.
23 And they ascended by the south side. And they arrived at Hebron, where there were Ahiman and Shishai and Talmai, the sons of Anak. For Hebron was founded seven years before Tanis, the city of Egypt.
24 And continuing on as far as the Torrent of the Cluster of Grapes, they cut off a vine with its grapes, which two men carried on a board. Likewise, they took from the pomegranates and the figs of that place,
25 which was called Nehel Eshcol, that is, the Torrent of the Cluster of Grapes, because the sons of Israel had carried a cluster of grapes from there.
26 And those exploring the land returned after forty days, having circulated through the entire region.
27 And they went to Moses and Aaron, and to the entire assembly of the sons of Israel in the desert of Paran, which is in Kadesh. And speaking to them, and to the entire multitude, they showed them the fruits of the land.
28 And they explained, saying: “We went into the land, to which you sent us, which, it is true, flows with milk and honey, as one can know by these fruits.
29 But it has very strong occupants, and the cities are great and also walled. We saw the race of Anak there.
30 Amalek lives in the south. The Hethite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite live in the mountains. And truly, the Canaanite stays near the sea and around the streams of the Jordan.”
31 During these events, Caleb, to restrain the murmuring of the people who rose up against Moses, said, “Let us ascend and possess the land, for we will be able to obtain it.”
32 Yet truly, the others, who had been with him, were saying, “By no means are we able to ascend to this people, because they are stronger than we are.”
33 And before the sons of Israel they disparaged the land, which they had inspected, saying: “The land, which we viewed, devours its inhabitants. The people, upon whom we gazed, were of lofty stature.
34 There, we saw some monsters among the sons of Anak, of the race of giants; by comparison with them, we seemed like locusts.”
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1 The sin of Judah has been written with a pen of iron and a point of diamond. It has been engraved upon the breadth of their heart and upon the horns of their shrines.
2 And their sons make a remembrance of their shrines, and their sacred groves, and their leafy trees on high mountains,
3 by sacrificing in the field. And so, I will give over your strength and all your treasures to be despoiled, along with your exalted places of sin, within all your borders.
4 And you will be left behind without your inheritance, which I gave to you. And I will cause you to serve your enemies in a land that you do not know. For you have kindled a fire in my fury; it shall burn, even unto eternity.”
5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is a man who trusts in man, and who establishes what is flesh as his right arm, and whose heart withdraws from the Lord.
6 For he will be like a saltcedar tree in the desert. And he will not perceive it, when what is good has arrived. Instead, he will live in dryness, in a desert, in a land of salt, which is uninhabitable.
7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, for the Lord will be his confidence.
8 And he will be like a tree planted beside waters, which sends out its roots to moist soil. And it will not fear when the heat arrives. And its leaves will be green. And in the time of drought, it will not be anxious, nor will it cease at any time to bear fruit.
9 The heart is depraved above all things, and it is unsearchable, who can know it?
10 I am the Lord, who examines the heart and tests the temperament, who gives to each one according to his way and according to the fruit of his own decisions.
9 I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I roared with the groaning of my heart.
10 Lord, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hidden from thee.
11 My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me, and the light of my eyes itself is not with me.
12 My friends and my neighbours have drawn near, and stood against me. And they that were near me stood afar off:
13 And they that sought my soul used violence. And they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, and studied deceits all the day long.
14 But I, as a deaf man, heard not: and as a dumb man not opening his mouth.
15 And I became as a man that heareth not: and that hath no reproofs in his mouth.
1 And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, so that the whole world would be enrolled.
2 This was the first enrollment; it was made by the ruler of Syria, Quirinius.
3 And all went to be declared, each one to his own city.
4 Then Joseph also ascended from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
5 in order to be declared, with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.
6 Then it happened that, while they were there, the days were completed, so that she would give birth.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son. And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn.
8 And there were shepherds in the same region, being vigilant and keeping watch in the night over their flock.
9 And behold, an Angel of the Lord stood near them, and the brightness of God shone around them, and they were struck with a great fear.
10 And the Angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. For, behold, I proclaim to you a great joy, which will be for all the people.
11 For today a Saviour has been born for you in the city of David: he is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the celestial army, praising God and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.
15 And it happened that, when the Angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us cross over to Bethlehem and see this word, which has happened, which the Lord has revealed to us.”
16 And they went quickly. And they found Mary and Joseph; and the infant was lying in a manger.
17 Then, upon seeing this, they understood the word that had been spoken to them about this boy.
18 And all who heard it were amazed by this, and by those things which were told to them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told to them.
21 And after eight days were ended, so that the boy would be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, just as he was called by the Angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And after the days of her purification were fulfilled, according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, in order to present him to the Lord,
23 just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “For every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,”
24 and in order to offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
