19. They made a gold bull calf at Sinaiand worshipped that idol;
20. they exchanged the glory of Godfor the image of an animal that eats grass.
21. They forgot the God who had saved themby his mighty acts in Egypt.
22. What wonderful things he did there!What amazing things at the Red Sea!
23. When God said that he would destroy his people,his chosen servant, Moses, stood up against Godand prevented his anger from destroying them.
24. Then they rejected the pleasant land,because they did not believe God's promise.
25. They stayed in their tents and grumbledand would not listen to the Lord.
26. So he gave them a solemn warningthat he would make them die in the desert
27. and scatter their descendants among the heathen,letting them die in foreign countries.
28. Then at Peor, God's people joined in the worship of Baal,and ate sacrifices offered to dead gods.
29. They stirred up the Lord's anger by their actions,and a terrible disease broke out among them.
30. But Phinehas stood up and punished the guilty,and the plague was stopped.
31. This has been remembered in his favour ever sinceand will be for all time to come.
32. At the springs of Meribah the people made the Lord angry,and Moses was in trouble on their account.
33. They made him so bitterthat he spoke without stopping to think.