9:16 但我們的列祖行事狂傲，硬著頸項不聽從你的誡命；
9:17 不肯順從，也不記念你在他們中間所行的奇事，竟硬著頸項，居心背逆，自立首領，要回他們為奴之地。但你是樂意饒恕人，有恩典，有憐憫，不輕易發怒，有豐盛慈愛的上帝，並不丟棄他們。
9:18 他們雖然鑄了一隻牛犢，彼此說『這是領你出埃及的上帝』，因而大大惹動你的怒氣；
9:19 你還是大施憐憫，在曠野不丟棄他們。白晝，雲柱不離開他們，仍引導他們行路；黑夜，火柱也不離開他們，仍照亮他們當行的路。
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.
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這是尼希米向上帝的禱告，讓我們看見上帝的憐憫與人的悖逆之對比。
人都是高舉自己，想到自己的利益與好處，更是否定上帝的主權，自我為中心。一切的作為，都是為了高舉自己，都是以自己的好處為出發點。
然而上帝的作為，卻是都要使人得益處，使人享受祂的恩澤。祂處處為自己所愛的人來著想，尤其是以色列人——祂的選民，他更是呵護，帶領他們經曠野進入迦南美地。
想想我們的人生，上帝也是不斷在基督裡來引導與眷顧我們，使我們離開撒但之黑暗的權勢，不再為死亡所吞噬；進而在基督的國度，享受永遠的榮耀，這是出於上帝的恩典！正如經文所說：「但你是樂意饒恕人，有恩典，有憐憫，不輕易發怒，有豐盛慈愛的上帝，並不丟棄他們。」
