< Isaiah 64 >
1 Didst Thou not rend the heavens? Thou didst come down, From thy presence did mountains flow,
Oh that thou would rend the heavens, that thou would come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence,
2 (As fire kindleth stubble — Fire causeth water to boil, ) To make known Thy name to Thine adversaries, From Thy presence do nations tremble.
as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
3 In Thy doing fearful things — we expect not, Thou didst come down, From Thy presence did mountains flow.
When thou did fearful things which we did not look for, thou came down; the mountains quaked at thy presence.
4 Even from antiquity [men] have not heard, They have not given ear, Eye hath not seen a God save Thee, He doth work for those waiting for Him.
For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he has prepared for him who waits for him.
5 Thou hast met with the rejoicer And the doer of righteousness, In Thy ways they remember Thee, Lo, Thou hast been wroth when we sin, By them [is] continuance, and we are saved.
Thou meet him who rejoices and works righteousness, those who remember thee in thy ways. Behold, thou were angry, and we sinned. Therefore we have erred.
6 And we are as unclean — all of us, And as a garment passing away, all our righteous acts; And we fade as a leaf — all of us. And our iniquities as wind do take us away.
For we have all become as unclean, and all our righteous acts are as a polluted garment. And we all fade as a leaf. And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 And there is none calling in Thy name, Stirring up himself to lay hold on Thee, For Thou hast hid Thy face from us, And thou meltest us away by our iniquities.
And there is none who calls upon thy name, who stirs himself up to take hold of thee. For thou have hid thy face from us, and have consumed us through our iniquities.
8 And now, O Jehovah, thou [art] our Father, We [are] the clay, and Thou our Framer, And the work of Thy hand — all of us.
But now, O Jehovah, thou are our Father. We are the clay, and thou our potter, and we are all the work of thy hand.
9 Be not wroth, O Jehovah, very sore, Nor for ever remember iniquity, Lo, look attentively, we beseech Thee, Thy people [are] we all.
Be not angry very severely, O Jehovah, nor remember iniquity forever. Behold, look, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
10 Thy holy cities have been a wilderness, Zion a wilderness hath been, Jerusalem a desolation.
Thy holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and our beautiful house, Where praise Thee did our fathers, Hath become burnt with fire, And all our desirable things have become a waste.
Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned with fire, and all our pleasant places are laid waste.
12 For these dost Thou refrain Thyself, Jehovah? Thou art silent, and dost afflict us very sore!'
Will thou restrain thyself for these things, O Jehovah? Will thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very severely?