Isaiah 64
1 Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence,
If only you would rip the heavens apart and come down! The mountains would tremble in your presence!
2 as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil; to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence.
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!
3 When you did awesome things which we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
In the past you did things we weren't anticipating. You came down and the mountains trembled in your presence!
4 Since ancient times no one has heard, and no ear has perceived, and no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.
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.
5 You meet him who rejoices and works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Look, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time; and shall we be saved?
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?
6 For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
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.
7 There is none who calls on your name, who stirs up himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.
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.
8 But now, LORD, you are our Father, and we are clay, and you are our potter; and we all are the work of your hands.
But you, Lord, are our Father. We're the clay, you're the potter. You made us all with your own hands.
9 Do not be furious, LORD, neither remember iniquity forever: see, look, we beg you, we are all your people.
Please limit your anger, Lord, and don't remember our sins forever. Look at us, and see that we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become like a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Your holy cities have been turned into a wilderness; Zion has become a desert; yes, even Jerusalem is an abandoned ruin.
11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, is burned with fire; and all our pleasant places are laid waste.
Our beautiful, holy Temple where our forefathers praised you has been burned down, and all that we treasured has been destroyed.
12 Will you refrain yourself for these things, LORD? Will you hold your peace, and afflict us very severely?
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?
