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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]Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!
    How the mountains would quake in your presence!
[b]As fire causes wood to burn
    and water to boil,
your coming would make the nations tremble.
    Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
When you came down long ago,
    you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
    And oh, how the mountains quaked!
For since the world began,
    no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like you,
    who works for those who wait for him!
You welcome those who gladly do good,
    who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
    for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us be saved?
We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Yet no one calls on your name
    or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us
    and turned us over[c] to our sins.

And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
    We are the clay, and you are the potter.
    We all are formed by your hand.
Don’t be so angry with us, Lord.
    Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
    and see that we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities are destroyed.
    Zion is a wilderness;
    yes, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin.
11 The holy and beautiful Temple
    where our ancestors praised you
has been burned down,
    and all the things of beauty are destroyed.
12 After all this, Lord, must you still refuse to help us?
    Will you continue to be silent and punish us?

Footnotes

  1. 64:1 In the Hebrew text this verse is included in 63:19.
  2. 64:2 Verses 64:2-12 are numbered 64:1-11 in Hebrew text.
  3. 64:7 As in Greek, Syriac, and Aramaic versions; Hebrew reads melted us.