11 I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them.
12 I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy.
13 But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them.
14 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt.
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.