< Isaiah 64 >

1 Did You not tear the heavens? You came down, Mountains flowed from Your presence,
“Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would have shaken at your presence,
2 (As fire kindles stubble—Fire causes water to boil), To make Your Name known to Your adversaries, Nations tremble from Your presence.
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 In Your doing fearful things [that] we do not expect, You came down, Mountains flowed from Your presence.
Previously, when you did marvelous things that we had not expected, you came down, and the mountains trembled at your presence.
4 Even from antiquity [men] have not heard, They have not given ear, Eye has not seen a God except You, He works for those 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 You have met with the rejoicer And the doer of righteousness, In Your ways they remember You, Behold, You have been angry when we sin, By them [is] continuance, and we are saved.
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 And we are as unclean—all of us, And all our righteous acts [are] as garments of menstruation; And we fade as a leaf—all of us. And our iniquities take us away as wind.
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 none calling on Your Name, Stirring himself up to lay hold on You, For You have hid Your face from us, And You melt us away by our iniquities.
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 And now, O YHWH, You [are] our Father, We [are] the clay, and You [are] our Framer, And the work of Your hand—all of us.
Yet, Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay. You are our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.
9 Do not be angry, O YHWH, very severely, Nor remember iniquity forever, Behold, look attentively, we implore You, 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 cities have been a wilderness, Zion has been a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and our beautiful house, Where our fathers praised You, Has become burned with fire, And all our desirable things have become a ruin.
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 Do You refrain Yourself for these, YHWH? You are silent, and afflict us very severely!
How can you still hold back, Yahweh? How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?”

< Isaiah 64 >