Isaiah 64
1 If only you would rip the heavens apart and come down! The mountains would tremble in your presence!
If thou wouldest open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from thee, and they shall melt,
2 In the same way that fire burns wood and makes the water boil, make your reputation known to your enemies, so that nations will tremble in your presence!
as wax melts before the fire; and fire shall burn up the enemies, and thy name shall be manifest among the adversaries: at thy presence the nations shall be troubled,
3 In the past you did things we weren't anticipating. You came down and the mountains trembled in your presence!
whenever thou shalt work gloriously; trembling from thee shall take hold upon the mountains.
4 Since the beginning, no one has heard about, no one has paid attention to, and no one has seen any God except you, the one who helps those who place their confidence in you.
From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God beside thee, and thy works which thou wilt perform to them that wait for mercy.
5 You join with those who are glad, and with those who do what's right and remember to follow your ways. But when we went on sinning, you became angry. How can we be saved if we go on like this?
For [these blessings] shall happen to them that work righteousness, and they shall remember thy ways: behold, thou wast angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred,
6 We've all become unclean, and all the good things we do are like dirty rags. We wither and die like autumn leaves, and our sins, like the wind, blow us away.
and we are all become as unclean, and all our righteousness as a filthy rag: and we have fallen as leaves because of our iniquities; thus the wind shall carry us [away].
7 There's no one who calls for you or really wants to hold onto you, because you have hidden your face from us and let us drown in our own sins.
And there is none that calls upon thy name, or that remembers to take hold on thee: for thou hast turned thy face away from us, and hast delivered us up because of our sins.
8 But you, Lord, are our Father. We're the clay, you're the potter. You made us all with your own hands.
And now, O Lord, thou art our Father, and we are clay, all [of us] the work of thine hands.
9 Please limit your anger, Lord, and don't remember our sins forever. Look at us, and see that we are all your people.
Be not very wroth with us, and remember not our sins for ever; but now look on [us], for we are all thy people.
10 Your holy cities have been turned into a wilderness; Zion has become a desert; yes, even Jerusalem is an abandoned ruin.
The city of thy holiness has become desolate, Sion has become as a wilderness, Jerusalem a curse.
11 Our beautiful, holy Temple where our forefathers praised you has been burned down, and all that we treasured has been destroyed.
The house, our sanctuary, and the glory which our fathers blessed, has been burnt with fire: and all our glorious things have gone to ruin.
12 In view of all this, are you still going to refuse to help us? Are you going to stay quiet and punish us so severely?
And for all these things thou, O Lord, has withholden, thyself, and been silent, and hast brought us very low.
