Isaiah 64

1 “[Yahweh], I wish that you would tear open the sky and come down, and cause the mountains to shake in your presence.

“Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would have shaken at your presence,

2 [Be] like a fire that burns twigs and causes water to boil! [Come down] in order that your enemies will know who you are, and the [people of other] nations will tremble in your presence.

as when fire kindles the brushwood, or the fire makes water boil. Oh, that your name would be known by your adversaries, that the nations would tremble at your presence!

3 You have done awesome things which we were not expecting you to do; the mountains shook when you came down [at Horeb Mountain].

Previously, when you did marvelous things that we had not expected, you came down, and the mountains trembled at your presence.

4 Since (long ago/the world began), no one [SYN] has [ever] seen or heard about a God like you; you help those who (depend on/trust in) you.

Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, nor eye seen any God besides you, who does things for him who waits for him.

5 You help those who joyfully do what is right, those who conduct their lives as you want them to. But [we did not do that]; we continued to sin, and so you became angry with us. We have been sinning for a long time, so only if we continually do what you want us to do will we be saved.

You come to help those who rejoice in doing what is right, those who call to mind your ways and obey them. You were angry when we sinned. In your ways we will always be rescued.

6 We have all become people who are not fit to worship you; all of the good things that we have done are only like [SIM] filthy/blood-stained rags. Because of our sins, we are like [SIM] leaves that dry up and are blown away by the wind.

For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag. We have all withered like leaves; our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.

7 None [of our people] worships you, and no one is completely dedicated to [IDM] you. You have turned away from us. [It is as though] you have caused us to be forced to continue our sinful behavior.

There are none who calls on your name, who makes an effort to take hold of you. For you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away in the hand of our iniquities.

8 Yahweh, you are our father. We are [like] [MET] clay, and you created us, [like] [MET] a potter [creates pottery].

Yet, Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay. You are our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.

9 Yahweh, do not continue to be angry [with us]; do not keep thinking about [our] sins forever. Do not forget that we are all your people.

Be not too angry, Yahweh, nor always call to mind against us our sins. Please look at us all, your people.

10 [All of] your towns [in Judah] have become like [MET] deserts; [even] Jerusalem has been destroyed.

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

11 Your glorious temple on Zion Hill, where our ancestors worshiped you, has been destroyed by fire. And all our [other] beautiful things have been ruined.

Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you, has been destroyed by fire, and all that was so dear is in ruins.

12 Yahweh, you see all those things, so we worry that you will refrain [from helping us], and that you will cause us to suffer much more.

How can you still hold back, Yahweh? How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?”