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64 [a]Oh, that You would rend the heavens and (A)come down,
That the mountains might (B)quake at Your presence—
[b]As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the (C)nations may tremble at Your presence!
When You did (D)awesome things for which we did not hope,
You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence.
For from ancient times (E)they have not heard or given ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who (F)waits for Him.
You (G)meet him who rejoices and (H)does righteousness,
Who (I)remembers You in Your ways.
Behold, (J)You were angry; indeed we have sinned—
We continued in them a long time—
And shall we be saved?
For all of us have become like one who is (K)unclean,
And all our (L)righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us (M)wither like a leaf,
And our (N)iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.
There is (O)no one who calls on Your name,
Who awakens himself to take hold of You,
For You have (P)hidden Your face from us
And have [c]melted us into the hand of our iniquities.

But now, O Yahweh, (Q)You are our Father;
We are the (R)clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the (S)work of Your hand.
Do not be (T)angry beyond measure, O Yahweh,
(U)Nor remember iniquity forever;
Behold, look now, all of us are (V)Your people.
10 Your (W)holy cities have become a (X)wilderness;
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and glorious (Y)house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And (Z)all our precious things have become a waste place.
12 Will You (AA)restrain Yourself at these things, O Yahweh?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 64:1 Ch 63:19b in Heb
  2. Isaiah 64:2 Ch 64:1 in Heb
  3. Isaiah 64:7 DSS and versions delivered

64 [a] If only you would tear open the heavens and come down!
    Mountains would quake before you
    like fire igniting brushwood or making water boil.
[b] If you would make your name known to your enemies,
    the nations would tremble in your presence.

When you accomplished wonders beyond all our expectations;
    when you came down, mountains quaked before you.
From ancient times,
    no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
    no eye has seen any god but you
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him![c]
You look after those who gladly do right;
    they will praise you for your ways.[d]
But you were angry when we sinned;
    you hid yourself when we did wrong.[e]
We have all become like the unclean;
    all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag.
All of us wither like a leaf;
    our sins, like the wind, carry us away.
No one calls on your name;
    no one bothers to hold on to you,
    for you have hidden yourself from us,
    and have handed us over[f] to our sin.

But now, Lord, you are our father.
    We are the clay, and you are our potter.
    All of us are the work of your hand.
Don’t rage so fiercely, Lord;
    don’t hold our sins against us forever,
    but gaze now on your people, all of us:
10     Your holy cities have become a wilderness;
    Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a wasteland.
11 Our holy, glorious house,
    where our ancestors praised you,
    has gone up in flames;
    all that we treasured has become a ruin.
12 After all this, will you hold back, Lord?
    Will you keep silent and torment us so terribly?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 64:1 63:19b in Heb
  2. Isaiah 64:2 64:1 in Heb
  3. Isaiah 64:4 Heb uncertain
  4. Isaiah 64:5 Heb uncertain
  5. Isaiah 64:5 Heb uncertain
  6. Isaiah 64:7 LXX, cf Syr, Tg, Vulg; MT melted