¹ O that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

² As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thy adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!¹

1. the melting...: Heb. the fire of meltings

³ When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

⁴ For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.¹

1. seen...: or, seen a God beside thee, which doeth so for him, etc

⁵ Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art angry; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

⁶ But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

⁷ And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.¹²

1. consumed: Heb. melted
2. because: Heb. by the hand

⁸ But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

⁹ Be not very angry, 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 holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.

¹² Wilt thou restrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and grievously afflict us?