^18 (A)‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, ^(B)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ ¹⁹ Please ^(C)pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just ^(D)as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

God Promises Judgment

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, ^(E)according to your word.

^21 (A)But the children ^(B)rebelled against me. ^(C)They did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

^(D)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. ^22 (E)But I withheld my hand ^(F)and acted for the sake of my name, ^(G)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

¹⁷ Nevertheless, ^(A)my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or ^(B)make a full end of them in the wilderness.

^13 (A)But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. ^(B)They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; ^(C)and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

^(D)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. ¹⁴ But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, ^(E)in whose sight I had brought them out.

²⁰ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(A)as Manasseh his father had done.

⁶ The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ^(A)“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and ^(B)gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast ^(C)love and faithfulness, ^7 (D)keeping steadfast love for thousands,^{[a] (E)}forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but ^(F)who will by no means clear the guilty, ^(G)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” ⁸ And Moses quickly ^(H)bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. ⁹ And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please ^(I)let the Lord go in the midst of us, for ^(J)it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for ^(K)your inheritance.”

^8 (A)But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. ^(B)None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them ^(C)and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ^9 (D)But I acted ^(E)for the sake of my name, ^(F)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, ^(G)in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.