Twelve Spies, Two Brave Voices

Two men waka enter di camp, dem carry one pole between dem. Hanging from di pole na one bunch of grapes, e heavy so tey e take both of dem to carry am. Di crowd gather round. And then di argument begin.

Israel don finally leave Mount Sinai, and dem camp for di wilderness of Paran, for di southern edge of Canaan, di land wey God promise Abraham long ago. Dem don almost reach. So God tell Moses make e send scouts, one leader from each of di twelve tribes. Among dem na Caleb, from di tribe of Judah, and Moses young assistant Joshua. Moses give dem instruction. Go up enter di hill country. See how di land be. Di people strong or dem weak, dem few or dem plenty? Their towns na open camps or cities wey get wall? Di soil rich or e poor? Be brave, and bring some of di fruit come. Na di season when di first grapes dey ripe.

For forty days, di twelve check di land, from di southern desert reach di far north. Dem pass through Hebron, one old old city for di hills. For one valley near there, dem cut one single bunch of grapes, carry am back on top pole between two of dem, and add pomegranates and figs. Dem call di place di valley of Eshcol, wey mean bunch. After forty days dem come back home, and di whole community gather to hear di report.

We enter di land, dem talk. E true true dey flow with milk and honey. See im fruit. Everybody dey look di grapes. And then di word wey change everything come. But. Di people wey live there strong. Di cities get wall and dem big well well. We even see di children of Anak for there, men wey dem know for how big dem be. Murmur begin spread through di crowd. Caleb step forward and quiet dem. Make we go up now now and take di land. We fit do am well well. But di others shout am down. We no fit. Dem strong pass us. For our own eyes we be like grasshoppers, and na so we look for their eyes too.

Dat night di whole community cry. By morning, di fear don turn to anger. If to say we for die for Egypt! Why di Lord dey bring us come here make sword kill us? Make we choose leader and go back. Joshua and Caleb tear their clothes for sorrow. Di land good well well, dem beg. If di Lord dey happy with us, e go bring us enter am. Only, no rebel against di Lord, and no fear di people of di land, because we go chop dem like bread. Their protection don comot from dem, and di Lord dey with us. No fear dem. But di crowd begin pick stones. And for dat moment, di glory of di Lord appear for di tent of meeting, for everybody front.

Again Moses beg for di people, and again God forgive. But forgiveness no clean di choice wey dem don make. Dis generation, wey refuse to trust am, no go enter di land. For each of di forty days wey di spies check di land, Israel go spend one year for wilderness. Forty years. Only Caleb and Joshua, wey follow di Lord with their whole heart, go enter. And di children, di same ones wey di people talk say go suffer, na dem go inherit di land. Di ten spies wey spread di report wey make people fear die for plague. And when di people, too late, try to march enter di hill country by themselves, without di Lord and without Moses, dem beat dem back.

One small detail for dis story talk plenty. Numbers tell us say dem build Hebron seven years before Zoan for Egypt. Zoan na royal city for di Nile Delta, wey di Greeks call Tanis. For people wey grow up for Egypt, dat line na way to talk say, di cities for dis land old and strong pass wetin you fit imagine. Hebron na also di place where dem bury Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Di spies waka pass near their fathers graves, and still dem forget God promise.

Twelve Spies, Two Brave Voices. You go find am for Numbers chapter thirteen and fourteen. All twelve see di same giants. Ten measure dem against themselves. Two measure dem against God. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you dey face something big, wetin you dey measure am against?