Isaiah 64

1 Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—

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

2 as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the water to boil. Make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!

as 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,

3 When you did awesome things which we did not look for, you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.

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

4 For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.

From 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.

5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved?

For [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,

6 For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

and 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].

7 There is no one who calls on your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.

And 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.

8 But now, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.

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

9 Do not be furious, LORD. Do not remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg you, we are all your people.

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

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

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

11 Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised you is burned with fire. All our pleasant places are laid waste.

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

12 Will you hold yourself back for these things, LORD? Will you keep silent and punish us very severely?

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