Isaiah 64

¹I wolde that thou brakist heuenes, and camest doun, that hillis fletiden awei fro thi face,

²and failiden as brennyng of fier, and brente in fier; that thi name were made knowun to thin enemyes, and folkis weren disturblid of thi face.

³Whanne thou schalt do merueils, we schulen not abide. Thou camest doun, and hillis fletiden awei fro thi face.

⁴Fro the world thei herden not, nethir perseyueden with eeris; God, non iye siy, withouten thee, what thingis thou hast maad redi to hem that abiden thee.

⁵Thou mettist hym that is glad, and doith riytfulnesse; in thi weies thei schulen bithenke on thee. Lo! thou art wrooth, and we synneden; in tho synnes we weren euere, and we schulen be saued.

⁶And alle we ben maad as an vncleene man; alle oure riytfulnessis ben as the cloth of a womman in vncleene blood; and alle we fellen doun as a leef, and our wickidnessis as wynd han take awei vs.

⁷Noon is, that clepith thi name to help, that risith, and holdith thee; thou hast hid thi face fro vs, and thou hast hurtlid doun vs in the hond of oure wickidnesse.

⁸And now, Lord, thou art oure fadir; forsothe we ben cley, and thou art oure maker, and alle we ben the werkis of thin hondis.

⁹Lord, be thou not wrooth ynow, and haue thou no more mynde on oure wickidnesse. Lo! Lord, biholde thou, alle we ben thi puple.

¹⁰The citee of thi seyntuarie is forsakun, Sion is maad deseert, Jerusalem is desolat;

¹¹the hous of oure halewyng and of oure glorie, where oure fadris herieden thee, is maad in to brennyng of fier; and alle oure desirable thingis ben turned in to fallyngis.

¹²Lord, whether on these thingis thou schalt witholde thee? schalt thou be stille, and schalt thou turmente vs greetli?

Isaiah 64

¹Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

²As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

³When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

⁴For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

⁵Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

⁶But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

⁷And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

⁸But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

⁹Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

¹⁰Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

¹¹Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.

¹²Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?