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 righteous ness. 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?