Isaiah (Douay: Isaias) 64

¹ Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence –

² as when fire kindles the brushwood, and the fire causes the water to boil. Make your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!

³ When you did awesome things which we didn’t look for, you came down, and the mountains quaked at your presence.

⁴ For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides you, who works for him who waits for him.

⁵ You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved?

⁶ For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

⁷ 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 consumed us by means of our iniquities.

⁸ But now, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.

⁹ Don’t be furious, LORD. Don’t remember iniquity forever. Look and see, we beg you, we are all your people.

¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

¹¹ Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised you is burned with fire. All our pleasant places are laid waste.

¹² Will you hold yourself back for these things, LORD? Will you keep silent and punish us very severely?

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

² They 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.

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

⁴ From 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.

⁵ Thou 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.

⁶ And 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.

⁷ There 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.

⁸ And 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.

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

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

¹¹ The 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.

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