But the Lord was kind and merciful to the Israelites because of his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He didn’t want to destroy the Israelites, and even now he hasn’t turned away from them.
When you return to the Lord, your relatives and children will find compassion from those who captured them. They will return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate. He will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.”
They refused to listen. They forgot the miracles you performed for them. They became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to slavery ⌞in Egypt⌟. But you are a forgiving God, one who is compassionate, merciful, patient, and always ready to forgive. You never abandoned them,
But because of your endless compassion, you didn’t abandon them in the desert. The column of smoke didn’t leave them during the day, but it led them on their way. The column of fire didn’t leave them during the night, but it gave them light to see the way they should go.