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64 Tear open the skies and come down to earth.
    The mountains would tremble before you.
Be like a fire that burns twigs.
    Be like a fire that makes water boil.
Do this so that your enemies will know who you are.
    Then all nations will shake with fear when they see you.
You have done amazing things that we did not expect.
    You came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
From long ago no one has ever heard of a God like you.
    No one has ever seen a God besides you.
    You help the people who trust you.
You help those who enjoy doing good.
    You help those who remember how you want them to live.
But you were angry because we sinned.
    For a long time we disobeyed.
    How will we be saved?
All of us are dirty with sin.
    All the right things we have done are like filthy pieces of cloth.
All of us are like dead leaves.
    Like the wind our sins have carried us away.
No one worships you.
    No one even asks you to help us.
So you have turned away from us.
    And we are destroyed because of our sins.

But Lord, you are our father.
    We are like clay, and you are the potter.
    Your hands made us all.
Lord, don’t continue to be angry with us.
    Don’t remember our sins forever.
Please, look at us
    because we are your people.

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64 [a]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(A) and come down,(B)
    that the mountains(C) would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
    and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(D) known to your enemies
    and cause the nations to quake(E) before you!
For when you did awesome(F) things that we did not expect,
    you came down, and the mountains trembled(G) before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(H)
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(I)
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(J)
    who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
    you were angry.(K)
    How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,(L)
    and all our righteous(M) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(N)
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(O)
No one(P) calls on your name(Q)
    or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(R) your face from us
    and have given us over(S) to[b] our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(T)
    We are the clay, you are the potter;(U)
    we are all the work of your hand.(V)
Do not be angry(W) beyond measure, Lord;
    do not remember our sins(X) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
    for we are all your people.(Y)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
  2. Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of