Isaiah 64
1 If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,
That thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down: the mountains would melt away at thy presence.
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!
They would melt as at the burning of fire, the waters would burn with fire, that thy name might be made known to thy enemies: that the nations might tremble at thy presence.
3 When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.
When thou shalt do wonderful things, we shall not bear them: thou didst come down, and at thy presence the mountains melted away.
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.
From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the ears: the eye hath not seen, O God, besides thee, what things thou hast prepared for them that wait for thee.
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?
Thou hast met him that rejoiceth, and doth justice: in thy ways they shall remember thee: behold thou art angry, and we have sinned: in them we have been always, and we shall be saved.
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.
And we are all become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman: and we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken 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.
There is none that calleth upon thy name: that riseth up, and taketh hold of thee: thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast crushed us in the hand of our iniquity.
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.
And now, O Lord, thou art our father, and we are clay: and thou art our maker, and we all are the works of thy hands.
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 remember no longer our iniquity: behold, see we are all thy people.
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation.
The city of thy sanctuary is become a desert, Sion is made a desert, Jerusalem is desolate.
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.
The house of our holiness, and of our glory, where our fathers praised thee, is burnt with fire, and all our lovely things are turned into ruins.
12 After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?
Wilt thou refrain thyself, O Lord, upon these things, wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us vehemently?
