But Moses sought the favour of the Lord his God: ‘Lord, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?
Why, Lord, do you make us stray from your ways? You harden our hearts so that we do not fear you. Return, because of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
But Moses and Aaron fell face down and said, ‘God, God who gives breath to all, , when one man sins, will you vent your wrath on the whole community? ’
So Moses asked the Lord, ‘Why have you brought such trouble on your servant? Why are you angry with me, and why do you burden me with all these people?
‘I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions.’ So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night.
Then the Lord said to me, ‘Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before me, my heart would not go out to these people. Send them from my presence, and let them go.
Lord, look and consider to whom you have done this. Should women eat their own children, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord’s sanctuary?
But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations they were living among, in whose sight I had made myself known to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt.
Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, ‘Have pity on your people, Lord, and do not make your inheritance a disgrace, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, “Where is their God? ” ’
‘Therefore tell the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the forced labour of the Egyptians and rescue you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgement.
Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Appeal to the Lord to remove the frogs from me and my people. Then I will let the people go and they can sacrifice to the Lord.’
The people then came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people.
Now, Lord our God #– #who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and made your name renowned as it is this day #– #we have sinned, we have acted wickedly.