Isaiah 64
1 If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,
O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and come down; That the mountains might tremble 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!
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 works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled 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 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.
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 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 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 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.
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 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 stirreth himself up to cleave to thee; For thou hidest thy face from us, And lettest us perish by our iniquities.
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 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 angry, O LORD, beyond measure; do not remember our iniquity forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray; 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 a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation.
Thy holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
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 glorious house, Where our fathers praised thee, Is burned with fire, And all our precious things are laid waste.
12 After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?
Wilt thou contain thyself at these things, O Jehovah, Wilt thou keep silence, and still grievously afflict us?
