¹⁶ Surely you are still our Father!
    Even if Abraham and Jacob^[a] would disown us,
Lord, you would still be our Father.
    You are our Redeemer from ages past.
¹⁷ Lord, why have you allowed us to turn from your path?
    Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you?
Return and help us, for we are your servants,
    the tribes that are your special possession.

¹⁹ Sometimes it seems as though we never belonged to you,
    as though we had never been known as your people.

^2 [a]As fire causes wood to burn
    and water to boil,
your coming would make the nations tremble.
    Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
³ When you came down long ago,
    you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
    And oh, how the mountains quaked!
⁴ For since the world began,
    no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like you,
    who works for those who wait for him!
⁵ You welcome those who gladly do good,
    who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
    for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us be saved?
⁶ We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
⁷ Yet no one calls on your name
    or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us
    and turned us over^[b] to our sins.