Prayer for Mercy and Help

64 [a]Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and (A)come down,
That the mountains would (B)quake at Your presence—
[b]As fire kindles 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 which we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.
For from days of old (E)they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of one who (F)waits for Him.
You (G)meet him who rejoices in (H)doing righteousness,
Who (I)remembers You in Your ways.
Behold, (J)You were angry, for we sinned,
We continued in [c]our sins for a long time;
Yet 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)wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.
There is (O)no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself to take hold of You;
For You have (P)hidden Your face from us
And have [d]surrendered us to the power of our wrongdoings.

But now, Lord, (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, Lord,
(U)Nor remember wrongdoing forever.
Behold, please look, 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 beautiful (Y)house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And (Z)all our precious things have become a ruin.
12 Will You (AA)restrain Yourself at these things, Lord?
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 64:5 Lit them
  4. Isaiah 64:7 As in DSS and ancient versions; MT melted

A Prayer for Help

64 Oh, that You would [a]rend the heavens!
That You would come down!
That the mountains might shake at Your (A)presence—
As fire burns brushwood,
As fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
When (B)You did awesome things for which we did not look,
You came down,
The mountains shook at Your presence.
For since the beginning of the world
(C)Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—
(D)In these ways we continue;
And we need to be saved.

But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all (E)our righteousnesses are like [b]filthy rags;
We all (F)fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have [c]consumed us because of our iniquities.

But now, O Lord,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our (G)potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.
Do not be furious, O Lord,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!
10 Your holy cities are a wilderness,
Zion is a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful [d]temple,
Where our fathers praised You,
Is burned up with fire;
And all (H)our pleasant things [e]are laid waste.
12 (I)Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O Lord?
(J)Will You [f]hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 64:1 tear open
  2. Isaiah 64:6 Lit. a filthy garment
  3. Isaiah 64:7 Lit. caused us to melt
  4. Isaiah 64:11 Lit. house
  5. Isaiah 64:11 have become a ruin
  6. Isaiah 64:12 keep silent

64 ¡Oh, si rasgaras los cielos y descendieras!
    ¡Las montañas temblarían ante ti,
como cuando el fuego enciende la leña
    y hace que hierva el agua!
Así darías a conocer tu nombre entre tus enemigos,
    y ante ti temblarían las naciones.
Hiciste maravillas asombrosas cuando descendiste;
    ante tu presencia temblaron las montañas.
Fuera de ti, desde tiempos antiguos
    nadie ha escuchado ni percibido,
ni ojo alguno ha visto,
    a un Dios que como tú actúe en favor de quienes en él esperan.
Sales al encuentro de los que, alegres,
    practican la justicia y recuerdan tus caminos.
Pero te enojas si persistimos
    en desviarnos de ellos.[a]
    ¿Cómo podremos ser salvos?
Todos somos como gente impura;
    todos nuestros actos de justicia son como trapos de inmundicia.
Todos nos marchitamos como hojas;
    nuestras iniquidades nos arrastran como el viento.
Nadie invoca tu nombre
    ni se esfuerza por aferrarse a ti.
Pues nos has dado la espalda
    y nos has entregado[b] en poder de nuestras iniquidades.

A pesar de todo, Señor, tú eres nuestro Padre;
    nosotros somos el barro y tú el alfarero.
    Todos somos obra de tu mano.
No te enojes demasiado, Señor;
    no te acuerdes siempre de nuestras iniquidades.
¡Considera, por favor,
    que todos somos tu pueblo!
10 Tus ciudades santas han quedado devastadas
    y hasta Sión se ha vuelto un desierto;
    Jerusalén ha quedado en ruinas.
11 Nuestro santo y glorioso Templo, donde te alababan nuestros antepasados,
    ha sido devorado por el fuego.
    Ha quedado en ruinas todo lo que más queríamos.
12 Ante todo esto, Señor, ¿no vas a hacer nada?
    ¿Vas a guardar silencio y afligirnos sin medida?

Footnotes

  1. 64:5 te enojas … de ellos. Frase de difícil traducción.
  2. 64:7 entregado (LXX, Targum y Siríaca); derretido (TM).

64 Panginoon, punitin nʼyo po ang kalangitan. Bumaba kayo, at yayanig ang mga bundok kapag nakita kayo. Kung papaanong ang apoy ay nakapagpapaliyab ng tuyong mga sanga at nakapagpapakulo ng tubig, ang pagdating naman ninyo ay makapagpapanginig ng mga bansang kaaway nʼyo, at malalaman nila kung sino kayo. Noong bumaba po kayo at gumawa ng mga kahanga-hangang mga bagay na hindi namin inaasahan, nayanig ang mga bundok sa inyong presensya. Mula noon hanggang ngayon wala pang nakarinig o nakakita ng Dios na katulad nʼyo na tumutulong sa mga nagtitiwala sa kanya. Tinatanggap nʼyo ang mga nagagalak na gumawa ng matuwid at sumusunod sa inyong mga pamamaraan. Pero nagalit po kayo sa amin dahil patuloy naming sinusuway ang inyong mga pamamaraan. Kaya papaano kami maliligtas? Kaming lahat ay naging parang maruming bagay, at ang lahat ng aming mabubuting gawa ay parang maruming basahan. Kaming lahat ay parang dahong natutuyo, at ang aming kasamaan ay parang hangin na tumatangay sa amin. Wala kahit isa man sa amin ang humihiling at nagsusumikap na kumapit sa inyo. Sapagkat lumayo po kayo sa amin, at pinabayaan nʼyo kaming mamatay dahil sa aming mga kasalanan. Pero, Panginoon, kayo pa rin ang aming Ama. Ang katulad ninyoʼy magpapalayok, at kami naman ay parang putik. Kayo ang gumawa sa aming lahat. Panginoon, huwag nʼyo naman pong lubusin ang inyong galit sa amin o alalahanin ang mga kasalanan namin magpakailanman. Nakikiusap po kami sa inyo na dinggin nʼyo kami, dahil kaming lahat ay inyong mamamayan. 10 Ang mga banal nʼyong lungsod, pati ang Jerusalem ay naging parang ilang na walang naninirahan. 11 Nasunog ang aming banal at magandang templo, kung saan po kayo sinasamba ng aming mga ninuno. Nawasak ang lahat ng bagay na mahalaga sa amin. 12 Sa kalagayan naming ito, Panginoon, kami po ba ay ayaw nʼyo pa ring tulungan? Kayo po ba ay tatahimik na lamang, at parurusahan kami ng lubusan?