Isaiah 64
1 Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—
Didst Thou not rend the heavens? Thou didst come down, From thy presence did mountains flow,
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 fire kindleth stubble — Fire causeth water to boil, ) To make known Thy name to Thine adversaries, From Thy presence do nations tremble.
3 When you did awesome things which we did not look for, you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.
In Thy doing fearful things — we expect not, Thou didst come down, From Thy presence did mountains flow.
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.
Even from antiquity [men] have not heard, They have not given ear, Eye hath not seen a God save Thee, He doth work for those waiting for Him.
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?
Thou hast met with the rejoicer And the doer of righteousness, In Thy ways they remember Thee, Lo, Thou hast been wroth when we sin, By them [is] continuance, and we are saved.
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 as unclean — all of us, And as a garment passing away, all our righteous acts; And we fade as a leaf — all of us. And our iniquities as wind do take 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 calling in Thy name, Stirring up himself to lay hold on Thee, For Thou hast hid Thy face from us, And thou meltest us away by our iniquities.
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 Jehovah, thou [art] our Father, We [are] the clay, and Thou our Framer, And the work of Thy hand — all of us.
9 Do not be furious, LORD. Do not remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg you, we are all your people.
Be not wroth, O Jehovah, very sore, Nor for ever remember iniquity, Lo, look attentively, we beseech Thee, Thy people [are] we all.
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Thy holy cities have been a wilderness, Zion a wilderness hath been, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised you is burned with fire. All our pleasant places are laid waste.
Our holy and our beautiful house, Where praise Thee did our fathers, Hath become burnt with fire, And all our desirable things have become a waste.
12 Will you hold yourself back for these things, LORD? Will you keep silent and punish us very severely?
For these dost Thou refrain Thyself, Jehovah? Thou art silent, and dost afflict us very sore!'
