Nehemiah 9:9-21

English Standard Version

^9 (A)“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard ^(B)their cry at the Red Sea, ^10 (C)and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that ^(D)they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And ^(E)you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. ^11 (F)And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, ^(G)as a stone into mighty waters. ¹² By ^(H)a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. ^13 (I)You came down on Mount Sinai ^(J)and spoke with them from heaven and gave them ^(K)right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, ^14 (L)and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. ^15 (M)You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and ^(N)brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you ^(O)told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

¹⁶ “But they and our fathers ^(P)acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. ¹⁷ They refused to obey ^(Q)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, ^(R)gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. ¹⁸ Even ^(S)when they had made for themselves a golden^[b] calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ ^(T)and had committed great blasphemies, ¹⁹ you ^(U)in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. ^(V)The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, ^(W)nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. ^20 (X)You gave your good Spirit to instruct them ^(Y)and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. ^21 (Z)Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.