New Century Version NCV
Good News Translation GNT
1 Tear open the skies and come down to earth so that the mountains will tremble before you.
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Why don't you tear the sky open and come down? The mountains would see you and shake with fear.
2 Like a fire that burns twigs, like a fire that makes water boil, let your enemies know who you are. Then all nations will shake with fear when they see 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 You have done amazing things we did not expect. You came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
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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 From long ago no one has ever heard of a God like you. No one has ever seen a God besides you, who helps the people who trust you.
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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 You help those who enjoy doing good, who remember how you want them to live. But you were angry because we sinned. For a long time we disobeyed, so how can we be saved?
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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 All of us are dirty with sin. All the right things we have done are like filthy pieces of cloth. All of us are like dead leaves, and our sins, like the wind, have carried 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 No one worships you or even asks you to help us. That is because you have turned away from us and have let our sins destroy us.
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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 Lord, you are our father. We are like clay, and you are the potter; your hands made us all.
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But you are our father, Lord. We are like clay, and you are like the potter. You created us,
9 Lord, don't continue to be angry with us; don't remember our sins forever. Please, look at us, because we are 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 cities are empty like the desert. Jerusalem is like a desert; it is destroyed.
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Your sacred cities are like a desert; Jerusalem is a deserted ruin,
11 Our ancestors worshiped you in our holy and wonderful Temple, but now it has been burned with fire, and all our precious things have been destroyed.
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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 When you see these things, will you hold yourself back from helping us, Lord? Will you be silent and punish us beyond what we can stand?
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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?
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.