Isaiah 64

1Didst Thou not rend the heavens? Thou didst come down, From thy presence did mountains flow,

1O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,

1O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down: the mountains would melt away at thy presence.

2(As fire kindleth stubble--Fire causeth water to boil,) To make known Thy name to Thine adversaries, From Thy presence do nations tremble.

2As when fire puts the brushwood in flames, or as when water is boiling from the heat of the fire: to make your name feared by your haters, so that the nations may be shaking before you;

2They would melt as at the burning of fire, the waters would burn with fire, that thy name might be made known to thy enemies: that the nations might tremble at thy presence.

3In Thy doing fearful things--we expect not, Thou didst come down, From Thy presence did mountains flow.

3While you do acts of power for which we are not looking, and which have not come to the ears of men in the past.

3When thou shalt do wonderful things, we shall not bear them: thou didst come down, and at thy presence the mountains melted away.

4Even from antiquity <FI>men<Fi> have not heard, They have not given ear, Eye hath not seen a God save Thee, He doth work for those waiting for Him.

4The ear has not had news of, or the eye seen, ... any God but you, working for the man who is waiting for him.

4From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the ears: the eye hath not seen, O God, besides thee, what things thou hast prepared for them that wait for thee.

5Thou hast met with the rejoicer And the doer of righteousness, In Thy ways they remember Thee, Lo, Thou hast been wroth when we sin, By them <FI>is<Fi> continuance, and we are saved.

5Will you not have mercy on him who takes pleasure in doing righteousness, even on those who keep in mind your ways? Truly you were angry, and we went on doing evil, and sinning against you in the past.

5Thou hast met him that rejoiceth, and doth justice: in thy ways they shall remember thee: behold thou art angry, and we have sinned: in them we have been always, and we shall be saved.

6And we are as unclean--all of us, And as a garment passing away, all our righteous acts; And we fade as a leaf--all of us. And our iniquities as wind do take us away.

6For we have all become like an unclean person, and all our good acts are like a dirty robe: and we have all become old like a dead leaf, and our sins, like the wind, take us away.

6And we are all become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman: and we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

7And there is none calling in Thy name, Stirring up himself to lay hold on Thee, For Thou hast hid Thy face from us, And thou meltest us away by our iniquities.

7And there is no one who makes prayer to your name, or who is moved to keep true to you: for your face is veiled from us, and you have given us into the power of our sins.

7There is none that calleth upon thy name: that riseth up, and taketh hold of thee: thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast crushed us in the hand of our iniquity.

8And now, O Jehovah, thou <FI>art<Fi> our Father, We <FI>are<Fi> the clay, and Thou our Framer, And the work of Thy hand--all of us.

8But now, O Lord, you are our father; we are the earth, and you are our maker; and we are all the work of your hand.

8And now, O Lord, thou art our father, and we are clay: and thou art our maker, and we all are the works of thy hands.

9Be not wroth, O Jehovah, very sore, Nor for ever remember iniquity, Lo, look attentively, we beseech Thee, Thy people <FI>are<Fi> we all.

9Be not very angry, O Lord, and do not keep our sins in mind for ever: give ear to our prayer, for we are all your people.

9Be not very angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity: behold, see we are all thy people.

10Thy holy cities have been a wilderness, Zion a wilderness hath been, Jerusalem a desolation.

10Your holy towns have become a waste, Zion has become a waste, Jerusalem is a mass of broken walls.

10The city of thy sanctuary is become a desert, Sion is made a desert, Jerusalem is desolate.

11Our holy and our beautiful house, Where praise Thee did our fathers, Hath become burnt with fire, And all our desirable things have become a waste.

11Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers gave praise to you, is burned with fire; and all the things of our desire have come to destruction.

11The house of our holiness, and of our glory, where our fathers praised thee, is burnt with fire, and all our lovely things are turned into ruins.

12For these dost Thou refrain Thyself, Jehovah? Thou art silent, and dost afflict us very sore!'

12In view of all this, will you still do nothing, O Lord? will you keep quiet, and go on increasing our punishment?

12Wilt thou refrain thyself, O Lord, upon these things, wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us vehemently?