15
So I made a vow 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 vow 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.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.