A Prayer for God’s Power

¹ If only You would rend the heavens and come down,

so that mountains would quake^* at Your presence,

² as fire kindles the brushwood

and causes the water to boil,

to make Your name known to Your enemies,

so that the nations will tremble at Your presence!

³ When You did awesome works that we did not expect,

You came down, and the mountains trembled^* at Your presence.

⁴ From ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,^*

no eye has seen any God besides You,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

⁵ You welcome^* those who gladly^* do right,

who remember Your ways.

Surely You were angry, for we sinned.

How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

⁶ Each of us has become like something unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all wither like a leaf,

and our iniquities carry us away^* like the wind.

⁷ No one calls on Your name

or strives to take hold of You.

For You have hidden Your face from us

and delivered us^* into the hand of our iniquity.

⁸ But now, O LORD, You are our Father;

we are the clay, and You are the potter;

we are all the work of Your hand.

⁹ Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond measure;

do not remember our iniquity forever.

Oh, look upon us, we pray;

we are all Your people!

¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness.

Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation.

¹¹ Our holy and beautiful temple,

where our fathers praised You,

has been burned with fire,

and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

¹² After all this, O LORD,

will You restrain Yourself?

Will You keep silent

and afflict us beyond measure?