They refused to obey and no longer remembered the wonders you had worked for them. They were obdurate and appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in mercy; you did not forsake them.
But God being compassionate forgave their sin; he did not utterly destroy them. Time and again he turned back his anger, unwilling to unleash all his rage.
How could I give you up, Ephraim, or deliver you up, Israel? How could I treat you as Admah, or make you like Zeboiim? My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’