Sifrei Bamidbar 91

(Bamidbar 11:11) "And Moses said to the L-rd: Why have You done evil to Your servant … (12) "Did I conceive all this people? Did I beget them, etc.?" When did He speak thus to him? When He said to him (Shemot 32:34) "Go, now, lead the people where I told you" — the thing depends upon you. And (Ibid. 6:13) "And the L-rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and He charged them to the children of Israel … to deliver the children of Israel from the land of Egypt." He said to them: Know that they are recalcitrant and importunate — on the understanding that they will curse you and stone you! "Whence am I to take flesh (to give to all this people") — Are they only one or two (recalcitrants, etc.) that I can bear them? (The majority are of that kind!) (11:14) "I shall not be able to bear alone all this people." (15) "And if thus You will do to them, kill me, I pray You": The Holy One Blessed be He had shown Moses the calamity that He was going to bring upon them. R. Shimon was wont to say: An analogy: One going out to be executed together with his sons says to the executioner: Kill me before you kill my sons — not as in the instance of Tzidkiyahu (Jeremiah 52:10-11) "And the king of Bavel slaughtered the sons of Tzidkiyahu before his eyes … and the eyes of Tzidkiyahu he blinded. Thus, Moses said before the L-rd: "And if thus You will do to them, kill me, I pray you." I would rather be killed first and not see the calamity that is to be brought upon them.