Isaiah 63:16-19
The Message
11-14 Then they remembered the old days,
the days of Moses, God’s servant:
“Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock
up and out of the sea?
And what happened to the One who set
his Holy Spirit within them?
Who linked his arm with Moses’ right arm,
divided the waters before them,
Making him famous ever after,
and led them through the muddy abyss
as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?
Like a herd of cattle led to pasture,
the Spirit of God gave them rest.”
14-19 That’s how you led your people!
That’s how you became so famous!
Look down from heaven, look at us!
Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house!
Whatever happened to your passion,
your famous mighty acts,
Your heartfelt pity, your compassion?
Why are you holding back?
You are our Father.
Abraham and Israel are long dead.
They wouldn’t know us from Adam.
But you’re our living Father,
our Redeemer, famous from eternity!
Why, God, did you make us wander from your ways?
Why did you make us cold and stubborn
so that we no longer worshiped you in awe?
Turn back for the sake of your servants.
You own us! We belong to you!
For a while your holy people had it good,
but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place.
For a long time now, you’ve paid no attention to us.
It’s like you never knew us.
Isaiah 63:16-17
New International Version
16 But you are our Father,(A)
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge(B) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer(C) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(D) from your ways
and harden our hearts(E) so we do not revere(F) you?
Return(G) for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.(H)
Isaiah 63:19
The Message
11-14 Then they remembered the old days,
the days of Moses, God’s servant:
“Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock
up and out of the sea?
And what happened to the One who set
his Holy Spirit within them?
Who linked his arm with Moses’ right arm,
divided the waters before them,
Making him famous ever after,
and led them through the muddy abyss
as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?
Like a herd of cattle led to pasture,
the Spirit of God gave them rest.”
14-19 That’s how you led your people!
That’s how you became so famous!
Look down from heaven, look at us!
Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house!
Whatever happened to your passion,
your famous mighty acts,
Your heartfelt pity, your compassion?
Why are you holding back?
You are our Father.
Abraham and Israel are long dead.
They wouldn’t know us from Adam.
But you’re our living Father,
our Redeemer, famous from eternity!
Why, God, did you make us wander from your ways?
Why did you make us cold and stubborn
so that we no longer worshiped you in awe?
Turn back for the sake of your servants.
You own us! We belong to you!
For a while your holy people had it good,
but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place.
For a long time now, you’ve paid no attention to us.
It’s like you never knew us.
Isaiah 63:19
New International Version
Footnotes
- Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called
Isaiah 64:2-7
The Message
Can We Be Saved?
64 1-7 Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend,
make the mountains shudder at your presence—
As when a forest catches fire,
as when fire makes a pot to boil—
To shock your enemies into facing you,
make the nations shake in their boots!
You did terrible things we never expected,
descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence.
Since before time began
no one has ever imagined,
No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you
who works for those who wait for him.
You meet those who happily do what is right,
who keep a good memory of the way you work.
But how angry you’ve been with us!
We’ve sinned and kept at it so long!
Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved?
We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated.
Our best efforts are grease-stained rags.
We dry up like autumn leaves—
sin-dried, we’re blown off by the wind.
No one prays to you
or makes the effort to reach out to you
Because you’ve turned away from us,
left us to stew in our sins.
Isaiah 64:2-7
New International Version
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(A) known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake(B) before you!
3 For when you did awesome(C) things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled(D) before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(E)
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(F)
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(G)
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.(H)
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,(I)
and all our righteous(J) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(K)
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(L)
7 No one(M) calls on your name(N)
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(O) your face from us
and have given us over(P) to[a] our sins.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.