Isaiah 64
1 If only you would rip the heavens apart and come down! The mountains would tremble in your presence!
Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence;
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 when fire kindleth the brushwood, [and] the fire causeth the waters to boil: to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence.
3 In the past you did things we weren't anticipating. You came down and the mountains trembled in your presence!
When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
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.
For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God beside thee, which worketh for him that waiteth for him.
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?
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, and we sinned: in them [have we been] of long time, and shall we be saved?
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.
For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take 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 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 by means of our iniquities.
8 But you, Lord, are our Father. We're the clay, you're the potter. You made us all with your own 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 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 wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, look, we beseech thee, 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.
Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our beautiful, holy Temple where our forefathers praised you has been burned down, and all that we treasured has been destroyed.
Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
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?
Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
