Numbers 32:23

THE MESSAGE

"But if you don't do what you say, you will be sinning against God ; you can be sure that your sin will track you down. So, go ahead. Build towns for your families and corrals for your livestock. Do what you said you'd do."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

King James Version
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord : and be sure your sin will find you out.

Lexham English Bible
But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and know that your sin will find you.

English Standard Version
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord , and be sure your sin will find you out.

New Century Version
"But if you don't do these things, you will be sinning against the Lord ; know for sure that you will be punished for your sin.

New English Translation
"But if you do not do this, then look, you will have sinned against the Lord . And know that your sin will find you out.

Amplified Bible
"But if you do not do this, behold, you will have sinned against the LORD; and be sure that your sin will find you out.

New American Standard Bible
"But if you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure that your sin will find you out.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But if ye will not doe so, beholde, ye haue sinned against the Lorde, and be sure, that your sinne will finde you out.

Legacy Standard Bible
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and be sure your sin will find you out.

Contemporary English Version
But if you don't keep your promise, you will sin against the Lord and be punished.

Complete Jewish Bible
But if you will not do this, then you have sinned against Adonai , and you must understand that your sin will find you out.

Darby Translation
But if ye do not do so, behold, ye have sinned against Jehovah, and be sure your sin will find you out.

Easy-to-Read Version
But if you don't do these things, you will be sinning against the Lord . And know for sure that you will be punished for your sin.

George Lamsa Translation
But if you will not do so, behold, you will he sinning against the LORD; and be sure your sins will overtake you.

Good News Translation
But if you do not keep your promise, I warn you that you will be sinning against the Lord . Make no mistake about it; you will be punished for your sin.

Christian Standard Bible®
But if you don’t do this, you will certainly sin against the Lord; be sure your sin will catch up with you.

Literal Translation
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Jehovah, and know that your sin will find you out.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But if ye will not do so, beholde, ye shal offende agaynst the LORDE, and be sure, that youre synne shal fynde you out.

American Standard Version
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against Jehovah; and be sure your sin will find you out.

Bible in Basic English
But if you do not do this, then you are sinners against the Lord; and you may be certain that your sin will have its reward.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But and if ye wyll not do so, beholde, ye haue sinned agaynst the Lorde: and be sure your sinne wyll finde you out.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD; and know ye your sin which will find you.

King James Version (1611)
But if ye will not doe so, behold, yee haue sinned against the Lord: and bee sure your sinne will finde you out.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if ye will not do so, ye will sin against the Lord; and ye shall know your sin, when afflictions shall come upon you.

English Revised Version
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

Berean Standard Bible
But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD-and be assured that your sin will find you out.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But if ye doon not that, that ye seien, it is not doute to ony man, that ne ye synnen ayens God; and wite ye, that youre synne schal take you.

Young's Literal Translation
`And if ye do not so, lo, ye have sinned against Jehovah, and know ye your sin, that it doth find you;

Update Bible Version
But if you will not do so, look, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.

Webster's Bible Translation
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

World English Bible
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.

New King James Version
But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

New Living Translation
But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord , and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

New Life Bible
But if you do not do as you say, you have sinned against the Lord. And for sure you will be punished for your sin.

New Revised Standard
But if you do not do this, you have sinned against the Lord ; and be sure your sin will find you out.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, if ye shall not do this, lo! ye will have sinned against Yahweh, - and take note of your sin, that it will find you out.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if you do not what you say, no man can doubt but you sin against God: and know ye, that your sin shall overtake you.

Revised Standard Version
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

Contextual Overview

¹⁶They came close to him and said, "All we want to do is build corrals for our livestock and towns for our families. Then we'll take up arms and take the front lines, leading the People of Israel to their place. We'll be able to leave our families behind, secure in fortified towns, safe from those who live in the land. But we won't go back home until every Israelite is in full possession of his inheritance. We won't expect any inheritance west of the Jordan; we are claiming all our inheritance east of the Jordan." ²⁰Moses said, "If you do what you say, take up arms before God for battle and together go across the Jordan ready, before God , to fight until God has cleaned his enemies out of the land, then when the land is secure you will have fulfilled your duty to God and Israel. Then this land will be yours to keep before God . ²³"But if you don't do what you say, you will be sinning against God ; you can be sure that your sin will track you down. So, go ahead. Build towns for your families and corrals for your livestock. Do what you said you'd do." ²⁵The families of Gad and Reuben told Moses: "We will do as our master commands. Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will stay behind here in the towns of Gilead. But we, every one of us fully armed, will cross the river to fight for God , just as our master has said."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

if ye will: Leviticus 26:14-46, Deuteronomy 28:15-68

be sure your sin: If the persons concerned prevaricated, and so imposed on men, or if they afterwards refused to fulfil their engagement, God would most certainly detect and expose their wickedness, and inflict condign punishment upon them. Of all the ways, says Dr. South, to be taken for the prevention of that great plague of mankind, Sin, there is none so rational and efficacious as to confute and baffle those motives by which men are induced to embrace it; and among all such motives, the heart of man seems to be chiefly overpowered and prevailed upon by two, viz. secrecy in committing sin, and impunity with respect to its consequences. Accordingly, Moses, in this chapter, having to deal with a company of men suspected of a base and fraudulent design, though couched under a very fair pretence, as most such designs are, endeavours to quash it in its very conception, by secretly applying himself to encounter those secret motives and arguments, which he knew were the most likely to encourage them in it. And this he does very briefly, but effectually, by assuring them, that how covertly and artificially soever they might carry on their dark project, yet their sin would infallibly find them out. Though the subject and occasion of these words are indeed particular, yet the design of them is manifestly of an universal import, as reaching the case of all transgressors, in their first entrance on any sinful act or course. Genesis 4:7, Genesis 44:16, Psalms 90:8, Psalms 139:11, Psalms 140:11, Proverbs 13:21, Isaiah 3:11, Isaiah 59:1, Isaiah 59:2, Isaiah 59:12, Romans 2:9, 1 Corinthians 4:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 39:9 - sin Genesis 42:21 - they said Numbers 34:14 - General Joshua 7:18 - was taken 1 Kings 2:9 - with 2 Kings 7:9 - some mischief will come upon us 2 Chronicles 18:34 - he died Jeremiah 2:17 - Hast thou Hosea 7:2 - their own Jonah 1:7 - and the Zechariah 1:6 - did

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if ye will not do so,.... As they promised they would, and Moses insisted on it that they should:

behold, ye have sinned against the Lord making such a request, and not fulfilling the conditions on which it was granted:

and be sure your sin will find you out; fly in their faces, accuse them in their consciences, charge and load them with guilt, and bring deserved punishment upon them: sin may be put, as it often is, for the punishment of sin, which sooner or later will find out and come upon the impenitent and unpardoned sinner.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be sure your sin will find you out - literally, “know ye your sin that it will find you out.” Moses implies that their sin would eventually bring its own punishment along with it.