Lehi's plea becomes even more poignant. He uses his coming death as a motivation for his sons change. He desires that they repent and change before he dies that he not only might have joy in them (the desire of all good parents) but that his heart need not leave this world in sorrow.
Verses 21 and 22 parallel verses 17 and 18 in the two penalties. Where in verses 17 and 18 Lehi presents the alternatives as his concerns, in verses 21 and 22 he specifically exhorts his sons against either path. Verse 22 reprises verse 18 only in the sore cursing, leaving out the details of the generations. At this point, Lehi's particular concern is for his sons, for should they repent the cursing of the generations might not occur at all.