Good News Translation GNT
New International Version NIV
1 Why don't you tear the sky open and come down? The mountains would see you and shake with fear.
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Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!
2 They would tremble like water boiling over a hot fire. Come and reveal your power to your enemies, and make the nations tremble at your presence!
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As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
3 There was a time when you came and did terrifying things that we did not expect; the mountains saw you and shook with fear.
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For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
4 No one has ever seen or heard of a God like you, who does such deeds for those who put their hope in him.
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Since 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 find joy in doing what is right, those who remember how you want them to live. You were angry with us, but we went on sinning; in spite of your great anger we have continued to do wrong since ancient times.
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You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are filthy through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind.
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All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
7 No one turns to you in prayer; no one goes to you for help. You have hidden yourself from us and have abandoned us because of our sins.
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No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.
8 But you are our father, Lord. We are like clay, and you are like the potter. You created us,
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Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
9 so do not be too angry with us or hold our sins against us forever. We are your people; be merciful to us.
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Do not be angry beyond measure, LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.
10 Your sacred cities are like a desert; Jerusalem is a deserted ruin,
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Your sacred cities have become a wasteland; even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 and our Temple, the sacred and beautiful place where our ancestors praised you, has been destroyed by fire. All the places we loved are in ruins.
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Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins.
12 Lord, are you unmoved by all this? Are you going to do nothing and make us suffer more than we can endure?
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After all this, LORD, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.