1 Hallelujah!

Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,

because his mercy endures forever.

2 Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done?

Who can announce all the things for which he is worthy of praise?

3 Blessed are those who defend justice

and do what is right at all times.

4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people.

Come to help me with your salvation

5 so that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,

find joy in our people’s happiness,

and brag with the people who belong to you.

6 We have sinned, and so did our ancestors.

We have done wrong.

We are guilty.

7 When our ancestors were in Egypt,

they gave no thought to your miracles.

They did not remember your numerous acts of mercy,

so they rebelled at the sea, the Red Sea.

8 He saved them because of his reputation

so that he could make his mighty power known.

9 He angrily commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up.

He led them through deep water as though it were a desert.

10 He rescued them from the power of the one who hated them.

He rescued them from the enemy.

11 Water covered their adversaries.

Not one Egyptian survived.

12 Then our ancestors believed what he said.

They sang his praise.

13 They quickly forgot what he did.

They did not wait for his advice.

14 They had an unreasonable desire ⌞for food⌟ in the wilderness.

In the desert they tested God.

15 He gave them what they asked for.

He ⌞also⌟ gave them a degenerative disease.

16 In the camp certain men became envious of Moses.

They also became envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy one.

17 The ground split open and swallowed Dathan.

It buried Abiram’s followers.

18 A fire broke out among their followers.

Flames burned up wicked people.

19 At Mount Horeb they made ⌞a statue of⌟ a calf.

They worshiped an idol made of metal.

20 They traded their glorious God *Or “their glory.”

for the statue of a bull that eats grass.

21 They forgot God, their savior,

the one who did spectacular things in Egypt,

22 miracles in the land of Ham,

and terrifying things at the Red Sea.

23 God said he was going to destroy them,

but Moses, his chosen one, stood in his way

to prevent him from exterminating them.

24 They refused ⌞to enter⌟ the pleasant land.

They did not believe what he said.

25 They complained in their tents.

They did not obey the Lord.

26 Raising his hand, he swore

that he would kill them in the wilderness,

27 kill their descendants among the nations,

and scatter them throughout various lands.

28 They joined in worshiping the god Baal while they were at Peor,

and they ate what was sacrificed to the dead.

29 They infuriated God by what they did,

and a plague broke out among them.

30 Then Phinehas stood between God and the people,

and the plague was stopped.

31 Because of this, Phinehas was considered righteous forever,

throughout every generation.

32 They made God angry by the water at Meribah.

Things turned out badly for Moses because of what they did,

33 since they made him bitter so that he spoke recklessly.

34 They did not destroy the people as the Lord had told them.

35 Instead, they intermarried with other nations.

They learned to do what other nations did,

36 and they worshiped their idols,

which became a trap for them.

37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.

38 They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their own sons and daughters

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.

The land became polluted with blood.

39 They became filthy because of what they did.

They behaved like prostitutes.

40 The Lord burned with anger against his own people.

He was disgusted with those who belonged to him.

41 He handed them over to other nations,

and those who hated them ruled them.

42 Their enemies oppressed them

and made them subject to their power.

43 He rescued them many times,

but they continued to plot rebellion against him

and to sink deeper because of their sin.

44 He saw that they were suffering

when he heard their cry for help.

45 He remembered his promise †Or “covenant.” to them.

In keeping with his rich mercy, he changed his plans.

46 He let them find compassion

from all those who held them captive.

47 Rescue us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations

so that we may give thanks to your holy name

and make your praise our glory.

48 Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel

from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say amen.

Hallelujah!