¹⁶ Lord, they came to you in their distress;^(A)
    when you disciplined^(B) them,
    they could barely whisper^(C) a prayer.^[a]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(D)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.

64 ^[a]Oh, that you would rend the heavens^(A) and come down,^(B)
    that the mountains^(C) would tremble before you!

⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean,^(A)
    and all our righteous^(B) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,^(C)
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.^(D)