Isaiah 64

1 “[Yahweh], I wish that you would tear open the sky and come down, and cause the mountains to shake in your presence.

If you would open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from you, and they shall melt,

2 [Be] like a fire that burns twigs and causes water to boil! [Come down] in order that your enemies will know who you are, and the [people of other] nations will tremble in your presence.

as wax melts before the fire; and fire shall burn up the enemies, and your name shall be manifest among the adversaries: at your presence the nations shall be troubled,

3 You have done awesome things which we were not expecting you to do; the mountains shook when you came down [at Horeb Mountain].

whenever you shall work gloriously; trembling from you shall take hold upon the mountains.

4 Since (long ago/the world began), no one [SYN] has [ever] seen or heard about a God like you; you help those who (depend on/trust in) you.

From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God beside you, and your works which you will perform to them that wait for mercy.

5 You help those who joyfully do what is right, those who conduct their lives as you want them to. But [we did not do that]; we continued to sin, and so you became angry with us. We have been sinning for a long time, so only if we continually do what you want us to do will we be saved.

For [these blessings] shall happen to them that work righteousness, and they shall remember your ways: behold, you were angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred,

6 We have all become people who are not fit to worship you; all of the good things that we have done are only like [SIM] filthy/blood-stained rags. Because of our sins, we are like [SIM] leaves that dry up and are blown away by the wind.

and we are all become as unclean, and all our righteousness as a filthy rag: and we have fallen as leaves because of our iniquities; thus the wind shall carry us [away].

7 None [of our people] worships you, and no one is completely dedicated to [IDM] you. You have turned away from us. [It is as though] you have caused us to be forced to continue our sinful behavior.

And there is none that calls upon your name, or that remembers to take hold on you: for you have turned your face away from us, and have delivered us up because of our sins.

8 Yahweh, you are our father. We are [like] [MET] clay, and you created us, [like] [MET] a potter [creates pottery].

And now, O Lord, you are our Father, and we are clay, all [of us] the work of your hands.

9 Yahweh, do not continue to be angry [with us]; do not keep thinking about [our] sins forever. Do not forget that we are all your people.

Be not very angry with us, and remember not our sins for ever; but now look on [us], for we are all your people.

10 [All of] your towns [in Judah] have become like [MET] deserts; [even] Jerusalem has been destroyed.

The city of your holiness has become desolate, Sion has become as a wilderness, Jerusalem a curse.

11 Your glorious temple on Zion Hill, where our ancestors worshiped you, has been destroyed by fire. And all our [other] beautiful things have been ruined.

The house, our sanctuary, and the glory which our fathers blessed, has been burnt with fire: and all our glorious things have gone to ruin.

12 Yahweh, you see all those things, so we worry that you will refrain [from helping us], and that you will cause us to suffer much more.

And for all these things you, O Lord, has withholden, yourself, and been silent, and have brought us very low.