18Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,19You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go.20You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst.21For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.
22You gave them kingdoms and peoplesand allotted to them every corner of the land.So they took the land of Sihon1 king of Heshbonand of Og king of Bashan.23You multiplied their descendantslike the stars of heavenand brought them to the landYou had told their fathers to enter and possess.24So their descendants went in and possessed the land;You subdued before them the Canaanites dwelling in the land.You delivered into their hands the kings and peoples of the land,to do with them as they wished.25They captured fortified cities and fertile landand took houses full of all goods,wells already dug,vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.So they ate and were filled;they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness. 26But they were disobedient and rebelled against You;they flung Your law behind their backs.They killed Your prophets,who had admonished them to return to You.They committed terrible blasphemies.27So You delivered them into the handsof enemies who oppressed them,and in their time of distress they cried out to You.From heaven You heard them,and in Your great compassion You gave them delivererswho saved them from the hands of their enemies.28But as soon as they had rest,they again did evil in Your sight.So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies,who had dominion over them.When they cried out to You again,You heard from heaven,and You delivered them many timesin Your compassion. 29You admonished them to turn back to Your law,but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments.They sinned against Your ordinances,by which a man will live if he practices them.They turned a stubborn shoulder;they stiffened their necks and would not obey.30You were patient with them for many years,and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets.Yet they would not listen,so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.231But in Your great compassion,You did not put an end to them;nor did You forsake them,for You are a gracious and compassionate God. 32So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome Godwho keeps His gracious covenant,do not view lightly all the hardshipthat has come upon us,and upon our kings and leaders,our priests and prophets,our ancestors and all Your people,from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.33You are just in all that has befallen us,because You have acted faithfully,while we have acted wickedly.34Our kings and leaders and priests and fathersdid not obey Your lawor listen to Your commandmentsand warnings that You gave them.35For even while they were in their kingdom,with the abundant goodnessthat You had given them,and in the spacious and fertile landthat You had set before them,they would not serve Youor turn from their wicked ways. 36So here we are today as slavesin the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness—here we are as slaves!37Its abundant harvest goes to the kingsYou have set over us because of our sins.And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please.We are in great distress. 38In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of3 our leaders, Levites, and priests.”
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