They refused to listen.\par They forgot the amazing things you did with them!\par They became stubborn.\par They decided to return to Egypt\par and became slaves again!\par
But God was merciful.\par He forgave them for their sins.\par And he did not destroy them.\par Many times God controlled his anger.\par He didn‘t let himself become too angry.\par
“Ephraim, {\cf2\super [121]} I don’t want to give you up.\par Israel, I want to protect you.\par I don’t want to make you like Admah! {\cf2\super [122]} \par I don’t want to make you like Zeboiim! {\cf2\super [123]} \par I am changing my mind.\par My love for you is too strong.\par
“Later, that same servant found another servant that owed him a few dollars’ worth of silver. The servant grabbed the other servant around the neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’
“Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant. You owed me much money, but you begged me to forgive your debt. So I told you that you did not have to pay anything.
The men had no money, so they could not pay their debt. But the banker told the men that they did not have to pay him. Which one of those two men will love the banker more?”
Then the people of Israel threw away the foreign gods. They started worshiping the Lord again. So the Lord felt sorry for them when he saw them suffering.