Isaiah 64
New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Mercy and Help
64 [a]Oh, that You would rend the heavens and (A)come down,
That the mountains might (B)quake at Your presence—
2 [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!
3 When You did (D)awesome things which we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.
4 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 the one who (F)waits for Him.
5 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 them a long time;
And shall we be saved?
6 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, take us away.
7 There is (O)no one who calls on Your name,
Who arouses himself to take hold of You;
For You have (P)hidden Your face from us
And have [c]delivered us into the power of our iniquities.
8 But now, O 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.
9 Do not be (T)angry beyond measure, O Lord,
(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 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, O Lord?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?
Footnotes
- Isaiah 64:1 Ch 63:19b in Heb
- Isaiah 64:2 Ch 64:1 in Heb
- Isaiah 64:7 Reading with the DSS and versions; M.T. melted
Isaiah 64
Living Bible
64 Oh, that you would burst forth from the skies and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence! 2 The consuming fire of your glory would burn down the forests and boil the oceans dry. The nations would tremble before you; then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame! 3 So it was before when you came down, for you did awesome things beyond our highest expectations, and how the mountains quaked! 4 For since the world began no one has seen or heard of such a God as ours, who works for those who wait for him! 5 You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways.
But we are not godly; we are constant sinners and have been all our lives. Therefore your wrath is heavy on us. How can such as we be saved? 6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness, we find they are but filthy rags.[a] Like autumn leaves we fade, wither, and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. 7 Yet no one calls upon your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.
8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay and you are the Potter. We are all formed by your hand. 9 Oh, be not so angry with us, Lord, nor forever remember our sins. Oh, look and see that we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities are destroyed; Jerusalem is a desolate wilderness. 11 Our holy, beautiful Temple where our fathers praised you is burned down, and all the things of beauty are destroyed. 12 After all of this, must you still refuse to help us, Lord? Will you stand silent and still punish us?
Footnotes
- Isaiah 64:6 filthy rags, literally, “filthy as a menstruating woman’s rags.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.