Isaiah 64

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

O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and come down; That the mountains might tremble at thy presence,

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 kindleth the dry stubble, As fire causeth water to boil, To make known thy name to thine adversaries, That the nations might tremble at thy presence;

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

As thou once didst wonderful things, which we looked not for, And camest down, so that the mountains trembled at thy presence.

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.

For never have men heard, nor perceived by the ear, Nor hath eye seen, a God beside thee. Who doeth such things for those that trust in 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 art the friend of those who joyfully do righteousness, Those who remember thee in thy ways. Behold, thou art angry, and we are punished; Long doth the punishment endure, before we are delivered.

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.

We are all of us an unclean thing; Like a filthy garment is all our righteousness; We are all withered like a leaf, And our sins, like a storm, have blown 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.

There is none that calleth upon thy name, That stirreth himself up to cleave to thee; For thou hidest thy face from us, And lettest us perish by 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 Jehovah, thou art our father; We are the clay, and thou hast formed us; We are all of us the work of thy hands.

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

Be not wroth, O Jehovah, to the uttermost, Nor remember our iniquity forever! Behold, look upon us, we beseech thee, we are all thy people!

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

Thy holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

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 glorious house, Where our fathers praised thee, Is burned with fire, And all our precious things are laid waste.

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

Wilt thou contain thyself at these things, O Jehovah, Wilt thou keep silence, and still grievously afflict us?