Read the Bible

¹ Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!² Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or show forth all his praise?³ Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!⁴ Remember me, O LORD, when thou showest favor to thy people; help me when thou deliverest them;⁵ that I may see the prosperity of thy chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thy heritage.

⁶ Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.⁷ Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider thy wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of thy steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.⁸ Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power.⁹ He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry; and he led them through the deep as through a desert.¹⁰ So he saved them from the hand of the foe, and delivered them from the power of the enemy.¹¹ And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.¹² Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.

¹³ But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.¹⁴ But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;¹⁵ he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.¹⁶ When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD,¹⁷ the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abi'ram.¹⁸ Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.¹⁹ They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image.²⁰ They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.²¹ They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,²² wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea.²³ Therefore he said he would destroy them--had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.²⁴ Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.²⁵ They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD.²⁶ Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness,²⁷ and would disperse their descendants among the nations, scattering them over the lands.²⁸ Then they attached themselves to the Ba'al of Pe'or, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;²⁹ they provoked the LORD to anger with their doings, and a plague broke out among them.³⁰ Then Phin'ehas stood up and interposed, and the plague was stayed.³¹ And that has been reckoned to him as righteousness from generation to generation for ever.³² They angered him at the waters of Mer'ibah, and it went ill with Moses on their account;³³ for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words that were rash.

³⁴ They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them,³⁵ but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did.³⁶ They served their idols, which became a snare to them.³⁷ They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;³⁸ they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.³⁹ Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the harlot in their doings.⁴⁰ Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage;⁴¹ he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them.⁴² Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.⁴³ Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity.⁴⁴ Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry.⁴⁵ He remembered for their sake his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.⁴⁶ He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.⁴⁷ Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to thy holy name and glory in thy praise.⁴⁸ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD!