1 Rip the heavens apart!Come down, Lord;make the mountains tremble.
2 Be a spark that starts a firecausing water to boil.Then your enemies will knowwho you are;all nations will tremblebecause you are nearby.
3 Your fearsome deedshave completely amazed us;even the mountains shakewhen you come down.
4 You are the only Godever seen or heard ofwho works miraclesfor his followers.
5 You help all who gladly obeyand do what you want,but sin makes you angry.Only by your helpcan we ever be saved.
6 We are unfit to worship you;each of our good deedsis merely a filthy rag.We dry up like leaves;our sins are storm windssweeping us away.
7 No one worships in your nameor remains faithful.You have turned your back on usand let our sins melt us away.
8 You, Lord, are our Father.We are nothing but clay,but you are the potterwho moulded us.
9 Don't be so furiousor keep our sinsin your thoughts for ever!Remember that all of usare your people.
10 Every one of your townshas turned into a desert,especially Jerusalem.
11 Zion's glorious and holy templewhere our ancestors praised youhas been destroyed by fire.Our beautiful buildingsare now a pile of ruins.
12 When you see these things,how can you just sit thereand make us suffer more?