¹⁷ The God of the Israelites chose our ·ancestors [^Lfathers; ^CAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Gen. 12—36]. He made the people great during the time they lived [as foreigners/aliens] in Egypt, and he brought them out of that country with ·great power [^La raised/uplifted arm]. ¹⁸ And he ·was patient with [put up with] them^[a] for forty years in the ·desert [wilderness; Ex. 16—Deut. 34]. ¹⁹ God destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave the land to his people [^Las an inheritance].