וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לְֽהַשְׁמִ֫ידָ֥ם לוּלֵ֡י מֹ֘שֶׁ֤ה בְחִיר֗וֹ עָמַ֣ד בַּפֶּ֣רֶץ לְפָנָ֑יו לְהָשִׁ֥יב חֲ֝מָת֗וֹ מֵֽהַשְׁחִֽית׃
Er wollte sie vertilgen, wenn nicht sein Erkorener Mose vor ihm in den Riss getreten [für sie mit Fürbitte eingetreten] wäre, seinen Grimm abzuwenden, dass er sie nicht verderbe.
Zohar
As long as the righteous dwell in this world, Judgment can not be handed down on it. What is the origin of this principle? Moses, as it is written, "He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach" (Tehilim 106:23). Thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes the righteous from among them and elevates them from this world. Only then does He receive His due retribution from the others as the last part of the passage reads, "The righteous is taken away from the evil to come"; before evil comes to rule the world, the righteous are taken away. Another explanation is that "from the evil" refers to the Evil Inclination.