"'You are the LORD God, who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,... You made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites,...to his descendants.  You have performed Your words, for You are righteous.

"'You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea.  You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,... and You divided the sea before them,... You came down also on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments.... You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,...

"'But they and our fathers acted proudly, hardened their necks, and did not heed your commandments.... But You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.... Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell....

"'Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets, who testified against them.... and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You heard from heaven; and according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

"'But after they had rest, they again did evil before You.  Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heaven; and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies.... Yet they acted proudly and did not heed Your commandments,...  Yet for many years You had patience with them,... yet they would not listen; therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.  Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; for You are God, gracious and merciful.'"