Isaiah 64

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

Oh that thou mightest rend the heavens, come down: at thy presence would mountains [then] melt away.

2 as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil; to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence.

As fire is kindled on brushwood, as water is made to bubble up by fire—to make thy name known to thy adversaries, that at thy presence nations might tremble!

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

[As] when thou didst fearful deeds which we had not looked for, thou camest down, [while] at thy presence mountains melted away;

4 Since ancient times no one has heard, and no ear has perceived, and no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.

Yea! what from the beginning of the world men had not heard, not perceived by their hearing; no eye [also] had seen a god beside thee, who could do [the like] for the one that waiteth for him.

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

Thou acceptest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, for we had sinned on them continually; and can we thus be saved?

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

And we are become like an unclean man all of us, and like a soiled garment, all our righteousness; and we wither like a leaf all of us; and our iniquities, like the wind, will bear us away.

7 There is none who calls on your name, who stirs up himself 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 calleth upon thy name, that stirreth himself up to lay hold of thee; for thou hast hidden thy face from us, and hast let us melt away, through the force of our iniquities.

8 But now, LORD, you are our Father, and we are clay, and you are our potter; and we all are the work of your hands.

But now, O Lord, our father art thou; we are the clay, and thou our fashioner; and the work of thy hand are we all.

9 Do not be furious, LORD, neither remember iniquity forever: see, look, we beg you, we are all your people.

Be not wroth, O Lord, so very greatly, and do not for ever remember [our] iniquity: behold, look, we beseech thee, thy people are we all.

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

Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem, a desolate place.

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

Our holy and beautiful house where our fathers praised thee, is burnt up with fire; and all our costly things are become ruins.

12 Will you refrain yourself for these things, LORD? Will you hold your peace, and afflict us very severely?

Wilt thou for these things refrain thyself, O Lord? wilt thou be silent, and afflict us so very greatly?