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64 I would that thou brakest heavens, and camest down, that hills floated away from thy face, (O that thou wouldest break open the heavens, and come down, and that the hills would flow down before thee,)

and failed, [(or) vanish(ed) away,] as the burning of fire, and (as) [waters] burnt in (the) fire; that thy name were made known to thine enemies, and folks were troubled of thy face. (and tremble, and perish, like something burned in the fire, or like water boiled by the fire; so that thy name was made known to thy enemies, and the nations were troubled before thee.)

When thou shalt do marvels, we shall not abide. Thou camest down, and hills floated away from thy face. (There was a time when thou camest down, and did terrible things, which we did not expect; and the hills flowed down before thee.)

From the world they heard not, neither perceived with ears; God, none eye saw, without thee, what things thou hast made ready to them that abide thee. (From the beginning of the world, none have heard of, nor have perceived with their ears; and not one eye hath seen anyone besides thee, O God, who hath made such things as thou hast, for those who wait for thee.)

Thou mettest him that is glad, and doeth rightfulness; in thy ways they shall bethink on thee. Lo! thou art wroth, and we sinned; in those sins we were ever, and we shall be saved. (Thou meetest him who is happy to do what is right; yea, all those who remember thee in thy ways. But lo! thou wast angry, for we sinned; and we were ever in those sins.)

And all we be made as an unclean man; all our rightfulnesses be as the cloth of a woman in menstruation, or unclean blood; and all we fell down as a leaf, and our wickednesses, as (the) wind, have taken away us. (And we all be made like an unclean man; all our righteousnesses be like the cloth of a woman in menstruation, or in unclean blood; and we all fell down like a leaf, and our wickednesses have taken us away, like the wind.)

None is, that calleth thy name to help, that riseth, and holdeth thee; thou hast hid thy face from us, and thou hast hurtled down us in(to) the hand of our wickedness. (There is no one who calleth on thy name for help, or who riseth up, and taketh hold of thee; and so thou hast hid thy face from us, and thou hast hurtled us down into the hand, or the power, of our own wickedness.)

And now, Lord, thou art our father; forsooth we be clay, and thou art our maker, and all we be the works of thine hands. (But now, Lord, thou art our father; and we be but clay, and thou art our Maker, and we all be the works of thy hands.)

Lord, be thou not wroth (any more than) enough, and have thou no more mind on our wickedness. Lo! Lord, behold thou, all we be thy people. (Lord, be thou not angry any more than enough, and no more remember thou our wickedness. Lo! Lord, behold thou, we all be thy people.)

10 The city of thy holy, either saintuary, is forsaken, Zion is made desert, Jerusalem is made desolate; (Thy holy cities be deserted, Zion is made a wilderness, Jerusalem is made desolate;)

11 the house of our hallowing and of our glory, where our fathers praised thee, is made into (a) burning of fire; and all our desirable things be turned into fallings. (our glorious holy Temple, where our forefathers praised thee, hath been burned into ashes; and all the things that we desired, or cherished, be turned into ruins.)

12 Lord, whether on these things thou shalt withhold thee? shalt thou be still, and shalt thou torment us greatly? (Lord, shalt thou still withhold thyself after all these things that have happened? shalt thou still be silent, and shalt thou still greatly torment us?)

64 [a]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(A) and come down,(B)
    that the mountains(C) would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
    and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(D) known to your enemies
    and cause the nations to quake(E) before you!
For when you did awesome(F) things that we did not expect,
    you came down, and the mountains trembled(G) before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(H)
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(I)
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(J)
    who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
    you were angry.(K)
    How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,(L)
    and all our righteous(M) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(N)
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(O)
No one(P) calls on your name(Q)
    or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(R) your face from us
    and have given us over(S) to[b] our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(T)
    We are the clay, you are the potter;(U)
    we are all the work of your hand.(V)
Do not be angry(W) beyond measure, Lord;
    do not remember our sins(X) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
    for we are all your people.(Y)
10 Your sacred cities(Z) have become a wasteland;
    even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(AA)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(AB) where our ancestors praised you,
    has been burned with fire,
    and all that we treasured(AC) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(AD)
    Will you keep silent(AE) and punish us beyond measure?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
  2. Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of