The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,
1
Why don't you tear the sky open and come down? The mountains would see you and shake with fear.
2 As when fire puts the brushwood in flames, or as when water is boiling from the heat of the fire: to make your name feared by your haters, so that the nations may be shaking before you;
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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!
3 While you do acts of power for which we are not looking, and which have not come to the ears of men in the past.
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There was a time when you came and did terrifying things that we did not expect; the mountains saw you and shook with fear.
4 The ear has not had news of, or the eye seen, ... any God but you, working for the man who is waiting for him.
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No one has ever seen or heard of a God like you, who does such deeds for those who put their hope in him.
5 Will you not have mercy on him who takes pleasure in doing righteousness, even on those who keep in mind your ways? Truly you were angry, and we went on doing evil, and sinning against you in the past.
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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.
6 For we have all become like an unclean person, and all our good acts are like a dirty robe: and we have all become old like a dead leaf, and our sins, like the wind, take us away.
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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.
7 And there is no one who makes prayer to your name, or who is moved to keep true to you: for your face is veiled from us, and you have given us into the power of our sins.
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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.
8 But now, O Lord, you are our father; we are the earth, and you are our maker; and we are all the work of your hand.
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But you are our father, Lord. We are like clay, and you are like the potter. You created us,
9 Be not very angry, O Lord, and do not keep our sins in mind for ever: give ear to our prayer, for we are all your people.
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so do not be too angry with us or hold our sins against us forever. We are your people; be merciful to us.
10 Your holy towns have become a waste, Zion has become a waste, Jerusalem is a mass of broken walls.
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Your sacred cities are like a desert; Jerusalem is a deserted ruin,
11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers gave praise to you, is burned with fire; and all the things of our desire have come to destruction.
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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.
12 In view of all this, will you still do nothing, O Lord? will you keep quiet, and go on increasing our punishment?
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Lord, are you unmoved by all this? Are you going to do nothing and make us suffer more than we can endure?
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.