⁹ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked^(A) people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone^(B) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy^(C) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”^(D)

¹¹ But Moses sought the favor^(E) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?^{(F) 12} Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?^(G) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster^(H) on your people. ¹³ Remember^(I) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:^(J) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars^(K) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land^(L) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’”

³ Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.^(A) But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked^(B) people and I might destroy^(C) you on the way.”

⁵ For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people.^(A) If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy^(B) you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’”

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?^(A) How long will they refuse to believe in me,^(B) in spite of all the signs^(C) I have performed among them? ¹² I will strike them down with a plague^(D) and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation^(E) greater and stronger than they.”^(F)

¹³ Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them.^{(G) 14} And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard^(H) that you, Lord, are with these people^(I) and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face,^(J) that your cloud stays over them,^(K) and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.^{(L) 15} If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, ¹⁶ ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath,^(M) so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’^(N)

²⁰ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²¹ “Separate yourselves^(A) from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”^(B)

²² But Moses and Aaron fell facedown^(C) and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things,^(D) will you be angry with the entire assembly^(E) when only one man sins?”^(F)

⁴⁵ “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end^(A) to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

⁴⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer^(B) and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly^(C) to make atonement^(D) for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord;^(E) the plague^(F) has started.” ⁴⁷ So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people,^(G) but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. ⁴⁸ He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.^{(H) 49} But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.^{(I) 50} Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.^[a]

⁸ and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;^{(A) 9} but those who died in the plague^(B) numbered 24,000.^(C)

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.^(D) Since he was as zealous for my honor^(E) among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal.