Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁹⁷ How I love your teachings!
    I think about them all day long.
⁹⁸ Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
    because they are mine forever.
⁹⁹ I am wiser than all my teachers,
    because I think about your rules.
¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders,
    because I follow your orders.
¹⁰¹ I have avoided every evil way
    so I could obey your word.
¹⁰² I haven’t walked away from your laws,
    because you yourself are my teacher.
¹⁰³ Your promises are sweet to me,
    sweeter than honey in my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ Your orders give me understanding,
    so I hate lying ways.

¹⁶ “But our ancestors were proud and stubborn
    and did not obey your commands.
¹⁷ They refused to listen;
    they forgot the miracles you did for them.
So they became stubborn and turned against you,
    choosing a leader to take them back to slavery.
But you are a forgiving God.
    You are kind and full of mercy.
You do not become angry quickly, and you have great love.
    So you did not leave them.
¹⁸ Our ancestors even made an idol of a calf for themselves.
    They said, ‘This is your god, Israel,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.’
They spoke against you.

¹⁹ “You have great mercy,
    so you did not leave them in the desert.
The pillar of cloud guided them by day,
    and the pillar of fire led them at night,
    lighting the way they were to go.
²⁰ You gave your good Spirit to teach them.
    You gave them manna to eat
    and water when they were thirsty.
²¹ You took care of them for forty years in the desert;
    they needed nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
    and their feet did not swell.

²² “You gave them kingdoms and nations;
    you gave them more land.
They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon
    and the country of Og king of Bashan.
²³ You made their children as many as the stars in the sky,
    and you brought them into the land
    that you told their ancestors to enter and take over.
²⁴ So their children went into the land and took over.
    The Canaanites lived there, but you defeated them for our ancestors.
You handed over to them the Canaanites, their kings, and the people of the land.
    Our ancestors could do what they wanted with them.
²⁵ They captured strong, walled cities and fertile land.
    They took over houses full of good things,
    wells that were already dug,
    vineyards, olive trees, and many fruit trees.
They ate until they were full and grew fat;
    they enjoyed your great goodness.

²⁶ “But they were disobedient and turned against you
    and ignored your teachings.
Your prophets warned them to come back to you,
    but they killed those prophets
    and spoke against you.
²⁷ So you handed them over to their enemies,
    and their enemies treated them badly.
But in this time of trouble our ancestors cried out to you,
    and you heard from heaven.
You had great mercy
    and gave them saviors who saved them from the power of their enemies.
²⁸ But as soon as they had rest,
    they again did what was evil.
So you left them to their enemies
    who ruled over them.
When they cried out to you again,
    you heard from heaven.
    Because of your mercy, you saved them again and again.
²⁹ You warned them to return to your teachings,
    but they were proud and did not obey your commands.
If someone obeys your laws, he will live,
    but they sinned against your laws.
They were stubborn, unwilling, and disobedient.
³⁰ You were patient with them for many years
    and warned them by your Spirit through the prophets,
but they did not pay attention.
    So you handed them over to other countries.
³¹ But because your mercy is great, you did not kill them all or leave them.
    You are a kind and merciful God.