Isaiah 64
1 O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,
“Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would have shaken at your presence,
2 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;
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 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.
Previously, when you did marvelous things that we had not expected, you came down, and the mountains trembled at your presence.
4 The ear has not had news of, or the eye seen, ... any God but you, working for the man who is waiting for him.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
Yet, Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay. You are our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.
9 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.
Be not too angry, Yahweh, nor always call to mind against us our sins. Please look at us all, your people.
10 Your holy towns have become a waste, Zion has become a waste, Jerusalem is a mass of broken walls.
Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 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.
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 In view of all this, will you still do nothing, O Lord? will you keep quiet, and go on increasing our punishment?
How can you still hold back, Yahweh? How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?”
