Isaiah 64

1 If only you would rip the heavens apart and come down! The mountains would tremble in your presence!

O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and come down; That the mountains might tremble at thy presence,

2 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!

As fire kindleth the dry stubble, As fire causeth water to boil, To make known thy name to thine adversaries, That the nations might tremble at thy presence;

3 In the past you did things we weren't anticipating. You came down and the mountains trembled in your presence!

As thou once didst wonderful things, which we looked not for, And camest down, so that the mountains trembled at thy presence.

4 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.

For never have men heard, nor perceived by the ear, Nor hath eye seen, a God beside thee. Who doeth such things for those that trust in him.

5 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?

Thou art the friend of those who joyfully do righteousness, Those who remember thee in thy ways. Behold, thou art angry, and we are punished; Long doth the punishment endure, before we are delivered.

6 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.

We are all of us an unclean thing; Like a filthy garment is all our righteousness; We are all withered like a leaf, And our sins, like a storm, have blown us away.

7 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.

There is none that calleth upon thy name, That stirreth himself up to cleave to thee; For thou hidest thy face from us, And lettest us perish by our iniquities.

8 But you, Lord, are our Father. We're the clay, you're the potter. You made us all with your own hands.

But now, O Jehovah, thou art our father; We are the clay, and thou hast formed us; We are all of us the work of thy hands.

9 Please limit your anger, Lord, and don't remember our sins forever. Look at us, and see that we are all your people.

Be not wroth, O Jehovah, to the uttermost, Nor remember our iniquity forever! Behold, look upon us, we beseech thee, we are all thy people!

10 Your holy cities have been turned into a wilderness; Zion has become a desert; yes, even Jerusalem is an abandoned ruin.

Thy holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11 Our beautiful, holy Temple where our forefathers praised you has been burned down, and all that we treasured has been destroyed.

Our holy and glorious house, Where our fathers praised thee, Is burned with fire, And all our precious things are laid waste.

12 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?

Wilt thou contain thyself at these things, O Jehovah, Wilt thou keep silence, and still grievously afflict us?