Isaiah 64
1 “Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would have shaken 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, or the fire makes water boil. Oh, that your name would be known by your adversaries, that the nations would 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 Previously, when you did marvelous things that we had not expected, you came down, and the mountains trembled 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 or perceived, nor eye seen any God besides you, who does things 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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Yet, Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay. You are our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.
But you, Lord, are our Father. We're the clay, you're the potter. You made us all with your own hands.
9 Be not too angry, Yahweh, nor always call to mind against us our sins. Please look at us 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 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 beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you, has been destroyed by fire, and all that was so dear is in ruins.
Our beautiful, holy Temple where our forefathers praised you has been burned down, and all that we treasured has been destroyed.
12 How can you still hold back, Yahweh? How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?”
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?
