< Isaiah 64 >
1 Did You not tear the heavens? You came down, Mountains flowed from Your presence,
Oh that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy 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] the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thy adversaries, [that] the nations may tremble at thy presence!
3 In Your doing fearful things [that] we do not expect, You came down, Mountains flowed from Your presence.
When thou didst terrible things [which] we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy 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.
For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 YHWH, You [are] our Father, We [are] the clay, and You [are] our Framer, And the work of Your hand—all of us.
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 angry, O YHWH, very severely, Nor remember iniquity forever, Behold, look attentively, we implore You, We [are] all Your people.
Be not very wroth, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we [are] all thy people.
10 Your holy cities have been a wilderness, Zion has been a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is 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 our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
12 Do You refrain Yourself for these, YHWH? You are silent, and afflict us very severely!
Wilt thou refrain thyself for these [things], O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and grievously afflict us?