In Good News Translation this verse starts in the middle of a sentence, because Good News Translation combines verses 25 and 26. See the comments on verse 25 to understand why these two verses are better put in different paragraphs.

And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh: And they came is literally “And they went and they came.” This double verb of returning to report back initiates a new discourse unit. At the beginning of this new paragraph it may be necessary to specify once again that the pronoun they refers to the twelve spies (see the comments on verse 21). The Hebrew word for congregation is better rendered “community” (Good News Translation; see 1.2). For the wilderness of Paran, see 10.12. The town of Kadesh became the Israelites’ chief base for the next several decades. It was located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Beersheba in the wilderness of Paran, which bordered on or overlapped with the wilderness of Zin. It formed part of the southern border of the land of Canaan and the western border with Edom. This place is called Kadesh-barnea in 32.8.

They brought back word to them and to all the congregation: The pronoun them refers to Moses and Aaron. This clause is actually an initial summary of verses 27-33. Good News Translation reduces the clause to “They reported what they had seen.” However, it should be clear at this point that the spies reported not just to Moses and Aaron but to the whole community as well. Otherwise the reference to “the people” in verse 30 would not make sense. Good News Translation may be corrected as follows: “They reported to all of them what they had seen” (similarly Bible en français courant).

And showed them the fruit of the land: See verse 23. Here the pronoun them refers to Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the Israelites.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .