The Message Bible MSG
King James Version KJV
1 Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend, make the mountains shudder at your presence -
1
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
2 As when a forest catches fire, as when fire makes a pot to boil -
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As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
3 To shock your enemies into facing you, make the nations shake in their boots! You did terrible things we never expected, descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence.
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When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
4 Since before time began no one has ever imagined, No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him.
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For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
5 You meet those who happily do what is right, who keep a good memory of the way you work. But how angry you've been with us! We've sinned and kept at it so long! Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved?
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Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
6 We're all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves - sin-dried, we're blown off by the wind.
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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 No one prays to you or makes the effort to reach out to you Because you've turned away from us, left us to stew in our sins.
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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.
8 Still, God, you are our Father. We're the clay and you're our potter: All of us are what you made us.
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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 Don't be too angry with us, O God. Don't keep a permanent account of wrongdoing. Keep in mind, please, we are your people - all of us.
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Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
10 Your holy cities are all ghost towns: Zion's a ghost town, Jerusalem's a field of weeds.
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Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful Temple, which our ancestors filled with your praises, Was burned down by fire, all our lovely parks and gardens in ruins.
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Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
12 In the face of all this, are you going to sit there unmoved, God? Aren't you going to say something? Haven't you made us miserable long enough?
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Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The King James Version is in the public domain.