Isaiah 64
1 “Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would have shaken at your presence,
If thou wouldest open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from thee, and they shall melt,
2 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!
as wax melts before the fire; and fire shall burn up the enemies, and thy name shall be manifest among the adversaries: at thy presence the nations shall be troubled,
3 Previously, when you did marvelous things that we had not expected, you came down, and the mountains trembled at your presence.
whenever thou shalt work gloriously; trembling from thee shall take hold upon the mountains.
4 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.
From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God beside thee, and thy works which thou wilt perform to them that wait for mercy.
5 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.
For [these blessings] shall happen to them that work righteousness, and they shall remember thy ways: behold, thou wast angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred,
6 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.
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 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.
And there is none that calls upon thy name, or that remembers to take hold on thee: for thou hast turned thy face away from us, and hast delivered us up because of our sins.
8 Yet, Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay. You are our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.
And now, O Lord, thou art our Father, and we are clay, all [of us] the work of thine hands.
9 Be not too angry, Yahweh, nor always call to mind against us our sins. Please look at us all, your people.
Be not very wroth with us, and remember not our sins for ever; but now look on [us], for we are all thy people.
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
The city of thy holiness has become desolate, Sion has become as a wilderness, Jerusalem a curse.
11 Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you, has been destroyed by fire, and all that was so dear is in ruins.
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 How can you still hold back, Yahweh? How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?”
And for all these things thou, O Lord, has withholden, thyself, and been silent, and hast brought us very low.
