Your ancestors<n id="1" /> ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there,<n id="1" /> along with our ancestors,<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense<n id="1" /> that I now<n id="2" /> make to you.&#8221;

Fathers,<n id="1" /> do not provoke<n id="2" /> your children, so they will not become disheartened.

Woe to you! You build<n id="1" /> the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors<n id="2" /> killed.

<p class="bodytext">Fathers,<n id="1" /> do not provoke your children to anger,<n id="2" /> but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.p>

<p class="otpoetry">&#8220;<i><b>There your fathers tested me and tried meb>,i><n id="1" /> <i><b>and they saw my works for forty yearsb>.i>p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Woe to you<n id="1" /> when all people<n id="2" /> speak well of you, for their ancestors<n id="3" /> did the same things to the false prophets.p>

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,<n id="1" /> and you people<n id="2" /> say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.&#8221;<n id="3" />

Our ancestors<n id="1" /> ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, &#8216;<b><i>He gave them bread from heaven to eati>b>.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Then a famine occurred throughout<n id="1" /> Egypt and Canaan, causing<n id="2" /> great suffering, and our<n id="3" /> ancestors<n id="4" /> could not find food.

Our<n id="1" /> ancestors<n id="2" /> were unwilling to obey<n id="3" /> him, but pushed him aside<n id="4" /> and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;You stubborn<n id="1" /> people, with uncircumcised<n id="2" /> hearts and ears!<n id="3" /> You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors<n id="4" /> did!

So now why are you putting God to the test<n id="1" /> by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke<n id="2" /> that neither our ancestors<n id="3" /> nor we have been able to bear?

To them belong the patriarchs,<n id="1" /> and from them,<n id="2" /> by human descent,<n id="3" /> came the Christ,<n id="4" /> who is God over all, blessed forever!<n id="5" /> Amen.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">For I do not want you to be unaware,<n id="1" /> brothers and sisters,<n id="2" /> that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea,

and saying,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Where is his promised return?<n id="2" /> For ever since<n id="3" /> our ancestors<n id="4" /> died,<n id="5" /> all things have continued as they were<n id="6" /> from the beginning of creation.&#8221;

Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy, because<n id="1" /> your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors<n id="2" /> did the same things to the prophets.<n id="3" />p>

This<n id="1" /> is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors<n id="2" /> ate, but then later died.<n id="3" /> The one who eats<n id="4" /> this bread will live forever.&#8221;p>

So he replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather<n id="2" /> Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,