A nation asks for forgiveness
1We will celebrate
and praise you, LORD!
You are good to us,
and your love never fails.
2No one can praise you enough
for all the mighty things
you have done.
3You bless those people
who are honest and fair
in everything they do.
4Remember me, LORD,
when you show kindness
by saving your people.
5Let me prosper with the rest
of your chosen ones,
as they celebrate with pride
because they belong to you.
6We and our ancestors
have sinned terribly.
7When they were in Egypt,
they paid no attention
to your marvellous deeds
or your wonderful love.
And they turned against you
at the Red Sea.
8But you were true to your name,
and you rescued them to prove
how mighty you are.
9You said to the Red Sea,
“Dry up!”
Then you led your people across
on land as dry as a desert.
10You saved all of them
11and drowned every one
of their enemies.
12Then your people trusted you
and sang your praises.
13But they soon forgot
what you had done
and rejected your advice.
14They became greedy for food
and tested you there
in the desert.
15So you gave them
what they wanted,
but later you destroyed them
with a horrible disease.
16Everyone in camp was jealous
of Moses and of Aaron,
your chosen priest.
17Dathan and Abiram rebelled,
and the earth opened up
and swallowed them.
18Then fire broke out
and destroyed all
of their followers.
19At Horeb your people
made and worshipped the statue
20of a bull, instead of you,
their glorious God.
21You worked powerful miracles
to save them from Egypt,
but they forgot about you
22and the fearsome things
you did at the Red Sea.
23You were angry and started
to destroy them,
but Moses, your chosen leader,
begged you not to do it.
24They would not trust
you, LORD,
and they did not like
the promised land.
25They would not obey you,
and they grumbled
in their tents.
26So you threatened them
by saying, “I'll kill you
out here in the desert!
27I'll scatter your children
everywhere in the world.”
28Your people became followers
of a god named Baal-Peor,
and they ate sacrifices
offered to the dead.
29They did such terrible things
that you punished them
with a deadly disease.
30But Phinehas helped them,
and the sickness stopped.
31Now he will always
be highly honoured.
32At Meribah Spring
they turned against you
and made you furious.
33Then Moses got into trouble
for speaking in anger.
34Our LORD, they disobeyed you
by refusing to destroy
the nations.
35Instead they were friendly
with those foreigners
and followed their customs.
36Then they fell into the trap
of worshipping idols.
37They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons
38and to the gods of Canaan.
Then they poured out the blood
of these innocent children
and made the land filthy.
39By doing such gruesome things,
they also became filthy.
40Finally, LORD, you were angry
and terribly disgusted
with your people.
41So you put them in the power
of nations that hated them.
42They were ill-treated and abused
by their enemies,
43but you saved them
time after time.
They were determined to rebel,
and their sins caused
their downfall.
44You answered their prayers
when they were in trouble.
45You kept your agreement
and were so merciful
46that their enemies
had pity on them.
47Save us, LORD God!
Bring us back
from among the nations.
Let us celebrate and shout
in praise of your holy name.
48LORD God of Israel,
you deserve to be praised
for ever and ever.
Let everyone say, “Amen!
Shout praises to the LORD!”
