The prophet prays for the release of his people; and for the remission
of their sins.
64:1. O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down: the
mountains would melt away at thy presence.
64:2. 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.
64:3. When thou shalt do wonderful things, we shall not bear them: thou
didst come down, and at thy presence the mountains melted away.
64:4. 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.
64:5. 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.
64:6. 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.
Our justices, etc... That is, the works by which we pretended to make
ourselves just. This is spoken particularly of the sacrifices,
sacraments, and ceremonies of the Jews, after the death of Christ, and
the promulgation of the new law.
64:7. 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.
64:8. 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.
64:9. Be not very angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity:
behold, see we are all thy people.
64:10. The city of thy sanctuary is become a desert, Sion is made a
desert, Jerusalem is desolate.
64:11. 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.
64:12. Wilt thou refrain thyself, O Lord, upon these things, wilt thou
hold thy peace, and afflict us vehemently?