23. The Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea. He said, "Go up and take over the land I have given you." But you refused to do what the Lord your God had commanded you to do. You didn't trust him or obey him.
24. You have been refusing to obey the Lord as long as I've known you.
25. I lay down in front of the Lord with my face toward the ground for 40 days and 40 nights. I did it because the Lord had said he would destroy you.
26. I prayed to him. "Lord and King," I said, "don't destroy your people. They belong to you. You set them free by your great power. You used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt.
27. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Forgive the people of Israel for being so stubborn. Don't judge them for the evil and sinful things they've done.