Isaiah, chapter 64

Rip the heavens apart! Come down, Lord;

make the mountains trembleI.

²Be a spark that starts a fire causing water to boil.*

Then your enemies will know who you are;

all nations will tremble because you are nearby.

³Your fearsome deeds have completely amazed us;

even the mountains shake when you come down.

⁴ C You are the only God ever seen or heard of

who works miracles for his followers.

⁵You help all who gladly obey and do what you want,

but sin makes you angry.

Only by your help can we ever be saved.*

⁶We are unfit to worship you;

each of our good deeds is merely a filthy rag.

We dry up like leaves;

our sins are storm winds sweeping us away.

⁷No one worships in your name or remains faithful.

You have turned your back on us

and let our sins melt us away.*

⁸You, Lord, are our Father.

We are nothing but clay,

but you are the potterI who molded us.

⁹Don't be so furious or keep our sins

in your thoughts forever!

Remember that all of us are your people.

¹⁰Every one of your towns has turned into a desert,

especially Jerusalem.

¹¹Zion's glorious and holy temple

where our ancestors praised you

has been destroyedH by fire.

Our beautiful buildings are now a pile of ruins.

¹²When you see these things, how can you just sit there

and make us suffer more?