12 Your imperishable spirit is present in all things. ² Therefore, Lord, little by little you correct those who have gone astray. You warn them by reminding them of how they have sinned, so that they can be set free from their wickedness and believe in you. ³ You hated the people who once lived in your holy land because of the evil deeds they were doing. ⁴ They were casting spells and using drugs, and performed unholy rites. ⁵ They murdered their own children without pity! Those who were initiated into their secret rituals feasted on human flesh and blood. ⁶ You were determined to use our ancestors to destroy parents who kill helpless beings. ⁷ You did this so that the land you honored above all others might be settled in a way that God’s children deserved.

⁸ But you spared even these men and women when you sent wasps at the head of your army to destroy your enemies little by little. ⁹ It’s not that you weren’t able to hand the ungodly over to the righteous or because you weren’t able to wipe out the ungodly from the face of the earth all at once by fierce beasts or with a powerful word. ¹⁰ You were judging them little by little to give them an opportunity to change their hearts and minds. You did so even though you knew full well that they were wicked from their birth, that their natural inclination was to evil, and that they would never change their minds. ¹¹ Their genetic character^[a] was cursed from the start. You didn’t grant them immunity for their sins out of concern for anyone’s opinion.