Nehemiah 9:16-19

English Standard Version

¹⁶ “But they and our fathers ^(A)acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. ¹⁷ They refused to obey ^(B)and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt.^[a] But you are a God ready to forgive, ^(C)gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. ¹⁸ Even ^(D)when they had made for themselves a golden^[b] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ ^(E)and had committed great blasphemies, ¹⁹ you ^(F)in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. ^(G)The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, ^(H)nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go.