8. He will never forgethis agreement or his promises,not in thousands of years.
9-10. God made an eternal promiseto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
11. when he said, “I'll give youthe land of Canaan.”
12. At the time there wereonly a few of us,and we were homeless.
13. We wandered from nationto nation, from one countryto another.
14. God did not let anyoneill-treat our people.Instead he protected usby punishing rulers
15. and telling them,“Don't touch my chosen leadersor harm my prophets!”
16. God kept crops from growinguntil food was scarceeverywhere in the land.
17. But he had already sent Joseph,sold as a slave into Egypt,
18. with chains of ironaround his legs and neck.