Isaiah 64

1 If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,

O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,

2 as fire kindles the brushwood and causes the water to boil, to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that the nations will tremble at Your presence!

As when fire puts the brushwood in flames, or as when water is boiling from the heat of the fire: to make your name feared by your haters, so that the nations may be shaking before you;

3 When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.

While you do acts of power for which we are not looking, and which have not come to the ears of men in the past.

4 From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

The ear has not had news of, or the eye seen, ... any God but you, working for the man who is waiting for him.

5 You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

Will you not have mercy on him who takes pleasure in doing righteousness, even on those who keep in mind your ways? Truly you were angry, and we went on doing evil, and sinning against you in the past.

6 Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

For we have all become like an unclean person, and all our good acts are like a dirty robe: and we have all become old like a dead leaf, and our sins, like the wind, take us away.

7 No one calls on Your name or strives to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

And there is no one who makes prayer to your name, or who is moved to keep true to you: for your face is veiled from us, and you have given us into the power of our sins.

8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

But now, O Lord, you are our father; we are the earth, and you are our maker; and we are all the work of your hand.

9 Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond measure; do not remember our iniquity forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray; we are all Your people!

Be not very angry, O Lord, and do not keep our sins in mind for ever: give ear to our prayer, for we are all your people.

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

Your holy towns have become a waste, Zion has become a waste, Jerusalem is a mass of broken walls.

11 Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers gave praise to you, is burned with fire; and all the things of our desire have come to destruction.

12 After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

In view of all this, will you still do nothing, O Lord? will you keep quiet, and go on increasing our punishment?