Isaiah 64

1 Did You not tear the heavens? You came down, Mountains flowed from Your presence,

Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake 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, and the fire causes the water to boil. Make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!

3 In Your doing fearful things [that] we do not expect, You came down, Mountains flowed from Your presence.

When you did awesome things which we didn’t look for, you came down, and the mountains quaked 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.

For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides you, who works 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 meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we 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.

For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take 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 is no one who calls on your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have consumed us by means 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, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. 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.

Don’t be furious, LORD. Don’t remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg you, we are 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 our beautiful house where our fathers praised you is burnt with fire. All our pleasant places are laid waste.

12 Do You refrain Yourself for these, YHWH? You are silent, and afflict us very severely!

Will you hold yourself back for these things, LORD? Will you keep silent and punish us very severely?