Isaiah 64

1 Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—

O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,

2 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!

As when fire puts the brushwood in flames, or as when water is boiling from the heat of the fire: to make your name feared by your haters, so that the nations may be shaking before you;

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

While you do acts of power for which we are not looking, and which have not come to the ears of men in the past.

4 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.

The ear has not had news of, or the eye seen, ... any God but you, working for the man who is waiting for him.

5 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?

Will you not have mercy on him who takes pleasure in doing righteousness, even on those who keep in mind your ways? Truly you were angry, and we went on doing evil, and sinning against you in the past.

6 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.

For we have all become like an unclean person, and all our good acts are like a dirty robe: and we have all become old like a dead leaf, and our sins, like the wind, take us away.

7 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.

And there is no one who makes prayer to your name, or who is moved to keep true to you: for your face is veiled from us, and you have given us into the power of our sins.

8 But now, Yahweh, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.

But now, O Lord, you are our father; we are the earth, and you are our maker; and we are all the work of your hand.

9 Don’t be furious, Yahweh. Don’t remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg you, we are all your people.

Be not very angry, O Lord, and do not keep our sins in mind for ever: give ear to our prayer, for we are all your people.

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

Your holy towns have become a waste, Zion has become a waste, Jerusalem is a mass of broken walls.

11 Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised you is burned with fire. All our pleasant places are laid waste.

Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers gave praise to you, is burned with fire; and all the things of our desire have come to destruction.

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

In view of all this, will you still do nothing, O Lord? will you keep quiet, and go on increasing our punishment?