¹⁷ They refused to obey ^(A)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, ^(B)gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. ¹⁸ Even ^(C)when they had made for themselves a golden^[b] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ ^(D)and had committed great blasphemies, ¹⁹ you ^(E)in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. ^(F)The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, ^(G)nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. ^20 (H)You gave your good Spirit to instruct them ^(I)and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

^17 (A)so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being ^(B)rooted and ^(C)grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to ^(D)comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and ^(E)height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ ^(F)that surpasses knowledge, that ^(G)you may be filled with all ^(H)the fullness of God.