New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence—
1
Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend, make the mountains shudder at your presence -
2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
2
As when a forest catches fire, as when fire makes a pot to boil -
3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your 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.
4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.
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.
5 You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.
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?
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
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.
7 There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
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.
8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
8
Still, God, you are our Father. We're the clay and you're our potter: All of us are what you made us.
9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.
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.
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
10
Your holy cities are all ghost towns: Zion's a ghost town, Jerusalem's a field of weeds.
11 Our holy and beautiful house, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins.
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.
12 After all this, will you restrain yourself, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and punish us so severely?
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?
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.