Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁶ But they—our own ancestors—acted arrogantly.
They became stubborn and wouldn’t obey your commands.
¹⁷ They refused to listen.
They forgot the miracles you performed for them.
They became stubborn and appointed a leader
to take them back to slavery ⌞in Egypt⌟.
But you are a forgiving God,
one who is compassionate, merciful, patient,
and always ready to forgive.
You never abandoned them,
¹⁸ even when they made a metal statue of a calf for themselves
and said, ‘This is your god who took you out of Egypt.’
They committed outrageous sins.
¹⁹ But because of your endless compassion,
you didn’t abandon them in the desert.
The column of smoke didn’t leave them during the day,
but it led them on their way.
The column of fire didn’t leave them during the night,
but it gave them light to see the way they should go.
²⁰ You gave them your good Spirit to teach them.
You didn’t keep your manna to yourself.
You gave them water to quench their thirst.
²¹ You provided for them in the desert for 40 years,
and they had everything they needed.
Their clothes didn’t wear out, and their feet didn’t swell.

²² You gave kingdoms and nations to the Israelites
and assigned them their boundaries.
So they took possession of the land of Sihon,
the land of the king of Heshbon,
and the land of King Og of Bashan.
²³ You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky.
You brought them into the land you told their parents to enter and possess.
²⁴ Their children took possession of the land.
You defeated for them the Canaanites, who lived in the land.
You handed the Canaanite kings and their people over to them
to do whatever they wanted with the Canaanites.
²⁵ The Israelites captured fortified cities and a rich land.
They took possession of houses filled with all sorts of good things,
cisterns, vineyards, olive trees,
and plenty of fruit trees.
So they ate and were satisfied and grew fat.
They enjoyed the vast supply of good things you gave them.

²⁶ But they were defiant and rebelled against you.
They threw your teachings over their shoulders
and killed your prophets who warned them to turn back to you.
They committed outrageous sins.
²⁷ You handed them over to their enemies, who made them suffer.
When they began to suffer, they cried to you.
You heard them from heaven.
You gave them saviors to rescue them from their enemies
because of your endless compassion.
²⁸ As soon as they felt some relief,
they were again doing what you considered evil.
You abandoned them to their enemies, who conquered them.
They cried to you again, and you heard them from heaven.
You rescued them many times because of your compassion.
²⁹ You warned them in order to bring them back to your teachings,
but they became arrogant and would not obey your commandments.
They sinned by not following your regulations.
If anyone follows them, he will find life in them.
But they gave you the cold shoulder,
became impossible to deal with, and wouldn’t listen.
³⁰ You were patient with them for many years.
You warned them by your Spirit through your prophets.
However, they wouldn’t listen.
So you handed them over to the people in the surrounding nations.
³¹ But your compassion is endless.
You didn’t destroy them or abandon them.
You are a merciful and compassionate God.