| King James Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, | 1If only you would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at your presence-- |
| 2As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! | 2just as fire kindles brushwood, and fire boils water--to make your name known to your enemies, so that nations will tremble at your presence! |
| 3When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. | 3When you did awesome works that we did not expect, you who came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence. |
| 4For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. | 4From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened to, no eye has seen any God except you who acts on behalf of the one who waits for him. |
| 5Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. | 5You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember you in your ways. But we have sinned, and you were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? |
| 6But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. | 6All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. |
| 7And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. | 7No one calls on your name, striving to take hold of you. For you have hidden your face from us and made us melt because of our iniquity. |
| 8But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. | 8Yet LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we all are the work of your hands. |
| 9Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. | 9LORD, do not be terribly angry or remember our iniquity forever. Please look--all of us are your people! |
| 10Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. | 10Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. |
| 11Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. | 11Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you, has been burned down, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins. |
| 12Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore? | 12LORD, after all this, will you restrain yourself? Will you keep silent and afflict us severely? |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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