64 Oh that you would tear the heavens,
    that you would come down,
    that the mountains might quake at your presence.
² As when fire kindles the brushwood,
    and the fire causes the water to boil;
Make your name known to your adversaries,
    that the nations may tremble at your presence!
³ When you did awesome things which we didn’t look for,
    you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.
⁴ For from of old men have not heard,
    nor perceived by the ear,
    nor has the eye seen a God besides you,
    who works for him who waits for him.
⁵ You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
    those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned.
    We have been in sin for a long time.
    Shall we be saved?
⁶ For we have all become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf;
    and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
⁷ There is no one who calls on your name,
    who stirs himself up to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
    and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.

⁸ But now, Yahweh, you are our Father.
    We are the clay and you our potter.
    We all are the work of your hand.
⁹ Don’t be furious, Yahweh.
    Don’t remember iniquity forever.
Look and see, we beg you,
    we are all your people.
¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness.
    Zion has become a wilderness,
    Jerusalem a desolation.
¹¹ Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised you
    is burned with fire.
    All our pleasant places are laid waste.
¹² Will you hold yourself back for these things, Yahweh?
    Will you keep silent and punish us very severely?