1-2 God spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the People of Israel. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true leader in the tribe.”
3-15 So Moses sent them off from the Wilderness of Paran at the command of God. All of them were leaders in Israel, one from each tribe. These were their names:from Reuben: Shammua son of Zaccurfrom Simeon: Shaphat son of Horifrom Judah: Caleb son of Jephunnehfrom Issachar: Igal son of Josephfrom Ephraim: Hoshea son of Nunfrom Benjamin: Palti son of Raphufrom Zebulun: Gaddiel son of Sodifrom Manasseh (a Joseph tribe): Gaddi son of Susifrom Dan: Ammiel son of Gemallifrom Asher: Sethur son of Michaelfrom Naphtali: Nahbi son of Vophsifrom Gad: Geuel son of Maki.
16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land. Moses gave Hoshea (Salvation) son of Nun a new name—Joshua (God-Saves).
17-20 When Moses sent them off to scout out Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and then into the hill country. Look the land over, see what it is like. Assess the people: Are they strong or weak? Are there few or many? Observe the land: Is it pleasant or harsh? Describe the towns where they live: Are they open camps or fortified with walls? And the soil: Is it fertile or barren? Are there forests? And try to bring back a sample of the produce that grows there—this is the season for the first ripe grapes.”