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 stopped obeying your laws
    because you yourself are my teacher.
¹⁰³ Your promises are so sweet to me.
    They are like honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ Your orders give me understanding.
    So I hate lying ways.

¹⁶ “But our ancestors were proud and stubborn.
    They did not obey your commands.
¹⁷ They refused to listen.
    They forgot the miracles you did for them.
They became stubborn and turned against you.
    They chose a leader to lead them back to their 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.
    It brought you up out of Egypt.’
They spoke against you.

¹⁹ “You have great mercy.
    So you did not leave them in the desert.
During the day the pillar of cloud guided them on their way.
    And the pillar of fire led them at night.
    It lit the way they were supposed to go.
²⁰ You gave your good Spirit to teach them.
    You gave them manna to eat.
    And you gave them water when they were thirsty.
²¹ You took care of them for 40 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 they took over 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.
    This was where you had 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 Our ancestors captured strong, walled cities and fertile land.
    They took over houses full of good things.
They took over wells that were already dug.
    They took vineyards, olive trees and many fruit trees.
They ate until they were full and became fat.
    They enjoyed your great goodness.

²⁶ “But they were disobedient and turned against you.
    They ignored your teachings.
Your prophets warned them to come back to you.
    But they killed those prophets.
    And they spoke against you.
²⁷ So you allowed their enemies to defeat them.
    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.
    You 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.
But they cried out to you again.
    And you heard from heaven.
    Because of your mercy, you saved them again and again.
²⁹ You warned them to return to obeying your teachings.
    But they were proud. They did not obey your commands.
If a man obeys your laws, he will live.
    But they sinned against your laws.
They were stubborn and disobedient.
    They would not listen.
³⁰ You were patient with them for many years.
    You warned them by your Spirit through the prophets.
But they did not pay attention.
    So you allowed them to be defeated by other countries.
³¹ But because your mercy is great, you did not kill them all.
    You did not leave them.
    You are a kind and merciful God.