Isaiah 64
1 Didst Thou not rend the heavens? Thou didst come down, From thy presence did mountains flow,
“Oh, if you had split open the heavens and come down! The mountains would have shaken at your 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, or the fire makes water boil. Oh, that your name would be known by your adversaries, that the nations would tremble at your presence!
3 In Thy doing fearful things — we expect not, Thou didst come down, From Thy presence did mountains flow.
Previously, when you did marvelous things that we had not expected, you came down, and the mountains trembled at your 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Yet, Yahweh, you are our father; we are the clay. You are our potter; and we all are the work of your 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 too angry, Yahweh, nor always call to mind against us our sins. Please look at us all, your people.
10 Thy holy cities have been a wilderness, Zion a wilderness hath been, Jerusalem a desolation.
Your 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 beautiful temple, where our fathers praised you, has been destroyed by fire, and all that was so dear is in ruins.
12 For these dost Thou refrain Thyself, Jehovah? Thou art silent, and dost afflict us very sore!'
How can you still hold back, Yahweh? How can you remain silent and continue to humiliate us?”
