14. But I did not, since that would have brought dishonour to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt.
15. So I made a promise in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.
16. I made the promise because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath — they preferred to worship their idols.
17. “But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert.
18. Instead, I warned the young people among them: do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols.
19. I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands.