⁴⁰ How often they rebelled^(A) against him in the wilderness^(B)
    and grieved him^(C) in the wasteland!

¹⁰ For forty years^(A) I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,^(B)
    and they have not known my ways.’^(C)

⁷ When our ancestors were in Egypt,
    they gave no thought^(A) to your miracles;
they did not remember^(B) your many kindnesses,
    and they rebelled by the sea,^(C) the Red Sea.^[a]
8 Yet he saved them^(D) for his name’s sake,^(E)
    to make his mighty power^(F) known.
⁹ He rebuked^(G) the Red Sea, and it dried up;^(H)
    he led them through^(I) the depths as through a desert.
¹⁰ He saved them^(J) from the hand of the foe;^(K)
    from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.^(L)
11 The waters covered^(M) their adversaries;
    not one of them survived.
¹² Then they believed his promises
    and sang his praise.^(N)

¹³ But they soon forgot^(O) what he had done
    and did not wait for his plan to unfold.^(P)
14 In the desert^(Q) they gave in to their craving;
    in the wilderness^(R) they put God to the test.^(S)
15 So he gave them^(T) what they asked for,
    but sent a wasting disease^(U) among them.

¹⁶ In the camp they grew envious^(V) of Moses
    and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
¹⁷ The earth opened^(W) up and swallowed Dathan;^(X)
    it buried the company of Abiram.^(Y)
18 Fire blazed^(Z) among their followers;
    a flame consumed the wicked.
¹⁹ At Horeb they made a calf^(AA)
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰ They exchanged their glorious God^(AB)
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹ They forgot the God^(AC) who saved them,
    who had done great things^(AD) in Egypt,
²² miracles in the land of Ham^(AE)
    and awesome deeds^(AF) by the Red Sea.
²³ So he said he would destroy^(AG) them—
    had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach^(AH) before him
    to keep his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴ Then they despised^(AI) the pleasant land;^(AJ)
    they did not believe^(AK) his promise.
²⁵ They grumbled^(AL) in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord.
²⁶ So he swore^(AM) to them with uplifted hand
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,^(AN)
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
    and scatter^(AO) them throughout the lands.

²⁸ They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor^(AP)
    and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
²⁹ they aroused the Lord’s anger^(AQ) by their wicked deeds,^(AR)
    and a plague^(AS) broke out among them.
³⁰ But Phinehas^(AT) stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was checked.^(AU)
31 This was credited to him^(AV) as righteousness
    for endless generations^(AW) to come.
³² By the waters of Meribah^(AX) they angered the Lord,
    and trouble came to Moses because of them;
³³ for they rebelled^(AY) against the Spirit^(AZ) of God,
    and rash words came from Moses’ lips.^[b](BA)

³⁴ They did not destroy^(BB) the peoples
    as the Lord had commanded^(BC) them,
³⁵ but they mingled^(BD) with the nations
    and adopted their customs.
³⁶ They worshiped their idols,^(BE)
    which became a snare^(BF) to them.
³⁷ They sacrificed their sons^(BG)
    and their daughters to false gods.^(BH)
38 They shed innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons^(BI) and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was desecrated by their blood.
³⁹ They defiled themselves^(BJ) by what they did;
    by their deeds they prostituted^(BK) themselves.