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For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.

And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers" stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the LORD toward Israel.

And the LORD"s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.

Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD.

Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

And the LORD"s anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying,

For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.

Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.

And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?

And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?

Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.

Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle:

Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,

Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;

And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD"s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?