Isaiah 64

¹O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,

²As 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;

³While you do acts of power for which we are not looking, and which have not come to the ears of men in the past.

⁴The ear has not had news of, or the eye seen, ... any God but you, working for the man who is waiting for him.

⁵Will 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.

⁶For 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.

⁷And 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.

⁸But 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.

⁹Be 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.

¹⁰Your holy towns have become a waste, Zion has become a waste, Jerusalem is a mass of broken walls.

¹¹Our 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.

¹²In view of all this, will you still do nothing, O Lord? will you keep quiet, and go on increasing our punishment?

Isaiah 64

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

²as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the waters to boil; to make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!

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

⁴For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.

⁵You meet him who rejoices and works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time; and shall we be saved?

⁶For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

⁷There is none who calls on your name, who stirs up himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.

⁸But now, Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.

⁹Do not be furious, Lord, neither remember iniquity forever: see, look, we beg you, we are all your people.

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

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

¹²Will you refrain yourself for these things, Lord? Will you hold your peace, and afflict us very severely?