Judg 2:1-3, Neh 9:9-12, Psa 136:10-16, Isa 63:9-14, Eze 20:5-32 | ESV | STEP | Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim . And he said , I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers . I said , I will never break my covenant with you,

1 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to ^aBochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ^b‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 ^cand you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; ^dyou shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, ^eI will not drive them out before you, but they shall become ^fthorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

Nehemiah 9:9-12

9 ^g“And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard ^htheir cry at the Red Sea, 10 ⁱand performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that ^jthey acted arrogantly against our fathers. And ^kyou made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 ^lAnd you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, ^mas a stone into mighty waters. 12 By ⁿa pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.

Psalms 136:10-16

10 to him who ^ostruck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and ^pbrought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with ^qa strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who ^rdivided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 ^sand made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but ^toverthrew ^{▼▼Hebrew shook off} Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who ^vled his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

Isaiah 63:9-14

9 ^wIn all their affliction he was afflicted, ^{▼▼Or he did not afflict}
and the angel of his presence saved them;
^yin his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
^zhe lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
10 ^aaBut they rebelled
^aband grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
and himself fought against them.
11 Then he remembered ^acthe days of old,
of Moses and his people. ^{▼▼Or Then his people remembered the days of old, of Moses}
^aeWhere is he who brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
his Holy Spirit,
12 who caused his glorious arm
to go at the right hand of Moses,
^afwho divided the waters before them
^agto make for himself an everlasting name,
13 who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
they did not stumble.
14 Like livestock that go down into the valley,
^ahthe Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
^aito make for yourself a glorious name.

Ezekiel 20:5-32

5 and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^ajOn the day when I chose Israel, ^akI swore ^{▼▼Hebrew I lifted my hand; twice in this verse; also verses 6, 15, 23, 28, 42} to the offspring of the house of Jacob, ^ammaking myself known to them in the land of Egypt; ^anI swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. 6 On that day I swore to them that ^aoI would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land ^apflowing with milk and honey, ^aqthe most glorious of all lands. 7 And I said to them, ' ^arCast away the detestable things ^asyour eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with ^atthe idols of Egypt; ^auI am the Lord your God.' 8 ^avBut they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. ^awNone of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them ^axand spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 ^ayBut I acted ^azfor the sake of my name, ^bathat it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, ^bbin whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 ^bcSo I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 ^bdI gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, ^beby which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them ^bfmy Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, ^bgthat they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 ^bhBut the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. ^biThey did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; ^bjand my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

^bk“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. 14 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, ^blin whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Moreover, ^bmI swore to them in the wilderness ^bnthat I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land ^boflowing with milk and honey, ^bpthe most glorious of all lands, 16 because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; ^bqfor their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless, ^brmy eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or ^bsmake a full end of them in the wilderness.

18 “And I said to ^bttheir children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk ^buin the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, ^bvnor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 ^bwI am the Lord your God; ^bxwalk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and ^bykeep my Sabbaths holy that ^bzthey may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.' 21 ^caBut the children ^cbrebelled against me. ^ccThey did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

^cd“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 ^ceBut I withheld my hand ^cfand acted for the sake of my name, ^cgthat it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 ^chMoreover, ^ciI swore to them in the wilderness ^cjthat I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, 24 because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, ^ckand their eyes were set on their fathers’ idols. 25 ^clMoreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, 26 and I defiled them through ^cmtheir very gifts ^cnin their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it ^cothat they might know that I am the Lord.

27 “Therefore, ^cpson of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by ^cqdealing treacherously with me. 28 For when I had brought them into the land that ^crI swore to give them, then wherever they saw ^csany high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented ^ctthe provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 (I said to them, ^cu'What is the high place to which you go?' So its name is called Bamah ^{▼▼ Bamah means high place} to this day.)

30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ^cwWill you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go ^cxwhoring after their detestable things? 31 When you present your gifts and ^cyoffer up your children in fire, ^{▼▼Hebrew and make your children pass through the fire} you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And ^dashall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? ^dbAs I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 ^dc“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ^dd‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, ^deand worship wood and stone.’