A Prayer for God’s Power

1If thou wouldest open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from thee, and they shall melt,

2as wax melts before the fire; and fire shall burn up the enemies, and thy name shall be manifest among the adversaries: at thy presence the nations shall be troubled,

3whenever thou shalt work gloriously; trembling from thee shall take hold upon the mountains.

4From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God beside thee, and thy works which thou wilt perform to them that wait for mercy.

5For these blessings shall happen to them that work righteousness, and they shall remember thy ways: behold, thou wast angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred,

6and we are all become as unclean, and all our righteousness as a filthy rag: and we have fallen as leaves because of our iniquities; thus the wind shall carry us away.

7And there is none that calls upon thy name, or that remembers to take hold on thee: for thou hast turned thy face away from us, and hast delivered us up because of our sins.

8And now, O Lord, thou art our Father, and we are clay, all of us the work of thine hands.

9Be not very wroth with us, and remember not our sins for ever; but now look on us, for we are all thy people.

10The city of thy holiness has become desolate, Sion has become as a wilderness, Jerusalem a curse.

11The house, our sanctuary, and the glory which our fathers blessed, has been burnt with fire: and all our glorious things have gone to ruin.

12And for all these things thou, O Lord, has withholden, thyself, and been silent, and hast brought us very low.