Study Desk

They despised the pleasant land and did not believe His promise.^(x)

They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the Lord 's voice.^(y)

So He raised His hand against them with an oath that He would make them fall in the desert^(z)

and would disperse their descendants^[d] among the nations, scattering them throughout the lands.^(aa)

They aligned themselves with Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.^[e](ab)

They provoked the Lord with their deeds, and a plague broke out against them.^(ac)

But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped.^(ad)

It was credited to him as righteousness throughout all generations to come.^(ae)

They angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah, and Moses suffered^[f] because of them;^(af)

for they embittered his spirit,^[g] and he spoke rashly with his lips.^(ag)

They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them^(ah)

but mingled with the nations and adopted their ways.^(ai)

They served their idols, which became a snare to them.^(aj)

They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.^(ak)

They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; so the land became polluted with blood.^(al)

They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.^(am)

Therefore the Lord 's anger burned against His people, and He abhorred His own inheritance.^(an)

He handed them over to the nations; those who hated them ruled them.^(ao)

Their enemies oppressed them, and they were subdued under their power.^(ap)

He rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their sin.^(aq)

When He heard their cry, He took note of their distress,^(ar)

remembered His covenant with them, and relented according to the riches of His faithful love.^(as)

He caused them to be pitied before all their captors.^(at)

Save us, Yahweh our God, and gather us from the nations, so that we may give thanks to Your holy name and rejoice in Your praise.^(au)

May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting.^(av) Let all the people say, "Amen!" Hallelujah!^(aw)