23 When God said that he would destroy his people,his chosen servant, Moses, stood up against Godand prevented his anger from destroying them.
24 Then they rejected the pleasant land,because they did not believe God's promise.
25 They stayed in their tents and grumbledand would not listen to the Lord.
26 So he gave them a solemn warningthat he would make them die in the desert
27 and scatter their descendants among the heathen,letting them die in foreign countries.
28 Then at Peor, God's people joined in the worship of Baal,and ate sacrifices offered to dead gods.
29 They stirred up the Lord's anger by their actions,and a terrible disease broke out among them.