Moses Intercedes for the People

11 Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people oreject 4Me? And how long will they not pbelieve Me, with all the 5signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will qmake of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13 And rMoses said to the Lord: s“Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have theard that You, Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the Lord was not uable to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 v‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, wvisiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 xPardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, yaccording to the greatness of Your mercy, just zas You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

20 Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, aaccording to your word;