Isaiah 64
1 I wish that you would rend the heavens, and then descend! The mountains would flow away before your face.
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
2 They would melt, as if thoroughly burned by fire. The waters would burn with fire, so that your name might be made known to your enemies, so that the nations would be stirred up before your face.
As [when] the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, [that] the nations may tremble at thy presence!
3 When you will perform miracles, we will not be able to withstand them. You descended, and the mountains flowed away before your presence.
When thou didst terrible things [which] we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
4 From ages past, they have not heard it, and they have not perceived it with the ears. Apart from you, O God, the eye has not seen what you have prepared for those who await you.
For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
5 You have met with those who rejoice in doing justice. By your ways, they will remember you. Behold, you have been angry, for we have sinned. In this, we have continued, but we will be saved.
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, [those that] remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
6 And we have all become like the unclean. And all our justices are like a rag of menstruation. And we have all fallen away, like a leaf. And our iniquities have carried us away, like the wind.
But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rises up and holds fast to you. You have concealed your face from us, and you have crushed us with the hand of our own iniquity.
And [there is] none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
8 And now, O Lord, you are our Father, yet truly, we are clay. And you are our Maker, and we are all the works of your hands.
But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand.
9 Do not be so angry, O Lord, and no longer call to mind our iniquity. Behold, consider that we are all your people.
Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we [are] all thy people.
10 The city of your sanctuary has become a desert. Zion has become a desert. Jerusalem is desolate.
Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 The house of our sanctification and of our glory, where our fathers praised you, has been completely consumed by fire, and all our admirable things have been turned into ruins.
Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
12 Should you restrain yourself, O Lord, concerning these things? Should you remain silent, and afflict us vehemently?
Wilt thou refrain thyself for these [things], O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
