Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 26

⁷ I will tell about the Lord’s mercies,
about the praises of the Lord,
about all that the Lord has done for us,
about his great goodness to the house of Israel,
which he performed for them according to his abundant compassion,
and according to his great mercy.
⁸ He said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely,”
so he became their Savior.
⁹ In all their anguish he felt anguish, ^[1]
and the Angel of his Presence saved them.
In his love and in his pity he himself redeemed them,
and he took them up and carried them all the days of old.
¹⁰ But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit,
so he turned against them and became an enemy.
He himself fought against them.
¹¹ Yet he remembered the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people.

Where is the one who brought them up from the sea,
    with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who set his Holy Spirit in their midst,
¹² who sent his majestic arm to the right hand of Moses,
who divided waters before them
    to make an everlasting name for himself,
¹³ who let them walk through the depths?
Like a horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble.
¹⁴ Like cattle that descend into a valley,
they were given rest by the Lord’s Spirit.
This is how you led your people
    to make a majestic name for yourself.

¹⁵ Gaze down from the heavens and see,
from your holy and beautiful dwelling place.
Where is your zeal and your might?
The feelings of your heart and your compassion
    are withheld from me.

¹⁶ But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
though Israel does not acknowledge us.
You, the Lord, are our Father.
Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name.
¹⁷ Why do you cause us to wander from your ways, Lord?
Why do you harden our heart so that we do not fear you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your heritage.
¹⁸ For a short time your holy people possessed the land.
Now our adversaries have trampled your sanctuary.
¹⁹ We have been your people from ancient times,
but you have not ruled over the other nations.
They were not called by your name. ^[2]

¹ Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down.
Mountains then would quake because of your presence. ^[3]
2 As fire ignites stubble and as fire makes water boil,
make your name known to your adversaries.
Then nations would quake in your presence.
³ You did amazing things that we did not expect.
You came down. Mountains quaked because of your presence.
⁴ From ancient times no one has heard.
No ear has understood.
No eye has seen any god except you,
who goes into action for the one who waits for him.
⁵ You meet anyone who joyfully practices righteousness,
who remembers you by walking in your ways!
But you were angry because we sinned.
We have remained in our sins for a long time.

Can we still be saved?
⁶ All of us have become like something unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth. ^[4]
All of us have withered like a leaf,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
⁷ There is no one who calls on your name,
who rouses himself to take hold of you.
So you hid your face from us.
You made us melt by the power of our guilt.
⁸ But now, Lord, you are our father.
We are the clay, and you are our potter.
All of us are the work of your hand.
⁹ Do not be angry, Lord, without limit.
Do not remember our guilt forever.
Please look closely.
All of us are your people.

¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness.
Zion has become a wilderness.
Jerusalem is a desolation.
¹¹ Our holy and glorious house, where our fathers praised you,
    has been burned by fire,
    and everything we desired has become a ruin.
¹² Since this is so, how can you hold back, O Lord?
How can you remain silent and afflict us without limit?