Numbers 14:13–20

¹³And Moses said to the Lord: That the Egyptians, from the midst of whom thou hast brought forth this people,

¹⁴And the inhabitants of this land, (who have heard that thou, O Lord, art among this people, and art seen face to face, and thy cloud protecteth them, and thou goest before them in a pillar of a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night,)

¹⁵May hear that thou hast killed so great a multitude as it were one man and may say:

¹⁶He could not bring the people into the land for which he had sworn, therefore did he kill them in the wilderness.

¹⁷Let then the strength of the Lord be magnified, as thou hast sworn, saying:

¹⁸The Lord is patient and full of mercy, by taking away iniquity and wickedness, and leaving no man clear, who visitest the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

¹⁹Forgive, I beseech thee, the sins of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, as thou hast been merciful to them from their going out of Egypt unto this place.

²⁰And the Lord said: I have forgiven according to thy word.