64:1 ①Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down,
That the mountains would quake at Your presence—
▷ ①Ch 63:19b in Heb
64:2 ①As fire kindles brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
▷ ①Ch 64:1 in Heb
64:3 When You did awesome things which we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.
64:4 For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of one who waits for Him.
64:5 You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
Behold, You were angry, for we sinned,
We continued in ①our sins for a long time;
Yet shall we be saved?
▷ ①Lit them
64:6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.
64:7 There is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us
And have ①surrendered us to the power of our wrongdoings.
▷ ①As in DSS and ancient versions; MT melted
64:8 But now, LORD, You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter,
And all of us are the work of Your hand.
64:9 Do not be angry beyond measure, LORD,
Nor remember wrongdoing forever.
Behold, please look, all of us are Your people.
64:10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness,
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
64:11 Our holy and beautiful house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And all our precious things have become a ruin.
64:12 Will You restrain Yourself at these things, LORD?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?