God

ADONAI, why do you let us wander from your ways and harden our hearts, so that we do not fear you? Return, for the sake of your servants, the tribes who are your possession.

Your holy people held your sanctuary such a short time, before our adversaries trampled it down.

For so long we have been like those you never ruled, like those who were not called by your name!

We wish you would tear open heaven and come down, so the mountains would shake at your presence!

It would be like fire kindling the brush, and the fire then makes the water boil. Then your enemies would know your name, the nations would tremble before you!

When you did tremendous things that we were not expecting, we wished that you would come down, so that the mountains would shake at your presence!

No one has ever heard, no ear perceived, no eye seen, any God but you. You work for him who waits for you.

You favored those who were glad to do justice, those who remembered you in your ways. When you were angry, we kept sinning; but if we keep your ancient ways, we will be saved.

No one calls on your name or bestirs himself to take hold of you, for you have hidden your face from us and caused our misdeeds to destroy us.

But now, ADONAI, you are our father; we are the clay, you are our potter; and we are all the work of your hands.

Do not be so very angry, ADONAI! Don't remember crime forever. Look, please, we are all your people.

ADONAI, after all this, will you still hold back? Will you still stay silent and punish us past endurance?

"I made myself accessible to those who didn't ask for me, I let myself be found by those who didn't seek me. I said, 'Here I am! Here I am!' to a nation not called by my name.

I spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people who live in a way that is not good, who follow their own inclinations;

a people who provoke me to my face all the time, sacrificing in gardens and burning incense on bricks.

They say, 'Keep your distance, don't come near me, because I am holier than you.' These are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day!

See, it is written before me; I will not be silent until I repay them; I will repay them to the full,

your own crimes and those of your ancestors together," says ADONAI. "They offered incense on the mountains and insulted me on the hills. First I will measure out their wages and then repay them in full."

Here is what ADONAI says: "As when juice is found in a cluster of grapes, and people say, 'Don't destroy it, there is still some good in it,' so I will do likewise for the sake of my servants, and not destroy them all.

I will bring forth descendants from Ya'akov, heirs of my mountains from Y'hudah; my chosen ones will possess them, and my servants will live there.

The Sharon will be a pasture for flocks, the Akhor Valley a place for cattle to rest, for my people who have sought me.

"But as for you who abandon ADONAI, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for a Gad, a god of luck, and fill bowls of mixed wine for Meni, a god of destiny

I will destine you to the sword, you will all bow down to be slaughtered; because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear, but did what was evil from my point of view and chose what did not please me."

Therefore this is what Adonai ELOHIM says: "My servants will eat, while you go hungry; my servants will drink, while you go thirsty. My servants will rejoice, while you will be ashamed.

Yes, my servants will sing for joy from their hearts, but you will cry out from the pain in your heart and howl from an anguished spirit.