1 Oh that you would tear the heavens,

that you would come down,

that the mountains might quake at your presence—

2 as when fire kindles the brushwood,

and the fire causes the water to boil.

Make your name known to your adversaries,

that the nations may tremble at your presence!

3 When you did awesome things which we didn’t look for,

you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.

4 For from of old men have not heard,

nor perceived by the ear,

nor has the eye seen a God besides you,

who works for him who waits for him.

5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,

those who remember you in your ways.

Behold, you were angry, and we sinned.

We have been in sin for a long time.

Shall we be saved?

6 For we have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf;

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

7 There is no one who calls on your name,

who stirs himself up to take hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us,

and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.

8 But now, Yahweh, you are our Father.

We are the clay and you our potter.

We all are the work of your hand.

9 Don’t be furious, Yahweh.

Don’t remember iniquity forever.

Look and see, we beg you,

we are all your people.

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness.

Zion has become a wilderness,

Jerusalem a desolation.

11 Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised you

is burned with fire.

All our pleasant places are laid waste.

12 Will you hold yourself back for these things, Yahweh?

Will you keep silent and punish us very severely?

1 Oh that thou would rend the heavens, that thou would come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

2 as [when] the melting fire burns, the fire causes the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, [that] the Gentiles may tremble at thy presence!

3 [As] thou didst come down when thou didst terrible things [which] we did not look for, [that] the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

4 Nor have [men] heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen a God beside thee, that thou might do [it again] for the one who waits in him.

5 Thou didst come out to meet him that with rejoicing had worked righteousness. In thy ways they remembered thee. Behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: thy ways are eternal, and [we] shall be saved.

6 But we were all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses as filthy rags; and we all fell as the leaves [of a tree]; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

7 And [there is] none that calls upon thy name, that wakes himself up to take hold [of thee]; therefore, thou hast hid thy face from us and hast allowed us to wither in the power of our iniquities.

8 But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; such that we all [are] the work of thy hands.

9 Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever; behold, see, we beseech thee, we [are] all thy people.

10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11 Our house of our Sanctuary and of our glory, where our fathers praised thee, was burned up with fire; and all our precious things were destroyed.

12 Wilt thou refrain thyself regarding these [things], O LORD? Wilt thou hold thy peace and afflict us very sore?: