Prayer for Mercy and Help
64 [a]Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and (A)come down,
That the mountains would (B)quake at Your presence—
2 [b]As fire kindles 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 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 [c]our sins for a long time;
Yet 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)wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is (O)no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself to take hold of You;
For You have (P)hidden Your face from us
And have [d]surrendered us to the power of our wrongdoings.
8 But now, 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, Lord,
(U)Nor remember wrongdoing forever.
Behold, please look, 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, 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 64:5 Lit them
- Isaiah 64:7 As in DSS and ancient versions; MT melted
Cross references
- Isaiah 64:1 : Ex 19:18; Ps 18:9; 144:5; Mic 1:3, 4; Hab 3:13
- Isaiah 64:1 : Judg 5:5; Ps 68:8; Nah 1:5
- Isaiah 64:2 : Ps 99:1; Jer 5:22; 33:9
- Isaiah 64:3 : Ps 65:5; 66:3, 5; 106:22
- Isaiah 64:4 : 1 Cor 2:9
- Isaiah 64:4 : Is 25:9; 30:18; 40:31
- Isaiah 64:5 : Ex 20:24
- Isaiah 64:5 : Is 56:1
- Isaiah 64:5 : Is 26:13; 63:7
- Isaiah 64:5 : Is 12:1
- Isaiah 64:6 : Is 6:5
- Isaiah 64:6 : Is 46:12; 48:1
- Isaiah 64:6 : Ps 90:5, 6; Is 1:30
- Isaiah 64:6 : Is 50:1
- Isaiah 64:7 : Is 59:4; Ezek 22:30
- Isaiah 64:7 : Deut 31:18; Is 1:15; 54:8
- Isaiah 64:8 : Is 63:16
- Isaiah 64:8 : Is 29:16; 45:9
- Isaiah 64:8 : Ps 100:3; Is 60:21
- Isaiah 64:9 : Is 57:17; 60:10
- Isaiah 64:9 : Is 43:25; Mic 7:18
- Isaiah 64:9 : Ps 79:13; Is 63:8
- Isaiah 64:10 : Is 48:2; 52:1
- Isaiah 64:10 : Is 1:7; 6:11
- Isaiah 64:11 : 2 Kin 25:9; Ps 74:5-7; Is 63:18
- Isaiah 64:11 : Lam 1:7, 10, 11
- Isaiah 64:12 : Ps 74:10, 11, 18, 19; Is 42:14; 63:15