God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

²⁰ “See, I am sending an angel^(A) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.^{(B) 21} Pay attention to him and listen^(C) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive^(D) your rebellion,^(E) since my Name^(F) is in him.

³¹ So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!^(A) They have made themselves gods of gold.^{(B) 32} But now, please forgive their sin^(C)—but if not, then blot me^(D) out of the book^(E) you have written.”

³³ The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out^(F) of my book. ³⁴ Now go, lead^(G) the people to the place^(H) I spoke of, and my angel^(I) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,^(J) I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf^(K) Aaron had made.

33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath^(L) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’^{(M) 2} I will send an angel^(N) before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.^{(O) 3} Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.^(P) But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked^(Q) people and I might destroy^(R) you on the way.”

⁴ When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn^(S) and no one put on any ornaments. ⁵ For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people.^(T) If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy^(U) you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” ⁶ So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.^(V)