Isaiah 63–64

The ’s Victory over the Nations

63^*“Who is this coming from the city of Bozrah in Edom? Who is this so splendidly dressed in red, marching alongⁱ in power and strength?”

“It is the Lord, powerful to save, coming to announce his victory.”

^2*“Why is his clothing so red, like that of someone who tramples grapes to make wine?”

^3*The Lord answers, “I have trampled the nations like grapes, and no one came to help me. I trampled them in my anger, and their blood has stained all my clothing. ^4*I decided that the time to save my people had come; it was time to punish their enemies. ^5*I was amazed when I looked and saw that there was no one to help me. But my anger made me strong, and I won the victory myself. ^6*In my anger I trampled whole nations and shattered them. I poured out their lifeblood on the ground.”

The ’s Goodness to Israel

⁷I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love;

I praise him for all he has done for us.

He has richly blessed the people of Israel

because of his mercy and constant love.

⁸The Lord said, “They are my people; they will not deceive me.” And so he saved them ⁹from all their suffering. It was not an angel, but the Lord himself who saved them. In his love and compassion he rescued them. He had always taken care of them in the past, ¹⁰but they rebelled against him and made his holy spirit sad. So the Lord became their enemy and fought against them.

¹¹But then they^j remembered the past, the days of Moses, the servant of the Lord, and they asked, “Where now is the Lord, who saved the leaders of his people from the sea? Where is the Lord, who gave his spirit to Moses? ^12–13*Where is the Lord, who by his power did great things through Moses, dividing the waters of the sea and leading his people through the deep water, to win everlasting fame for himself?”

Led by the Lord, they were as sure-footed as wild horses, and never stumbled. ¹⁴As cattle are led into a fertile valley, so the Lord gave his people rest. He led his people and brought honour to his name.

A Prayer for Mercy and Help

¹⁵Lord, look upon us from heaven, where you live in your holiness and glory. Where is your great concern for us? Where is your power? Where are your love and compassion? Do not ignore us. ¹⁶You are our father. Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob do not acknowledge us, but you, Lord, are our father, the one who has always rescued us. ¹⁷Why do you let us stray from your ways? Why do you make us so stubborn that we turn away from you? Come back, for the sake of those who serve you, for the sake of the people who have always been yours.

¹⁸We, your holy people, were driven out by our enemies for a little while: they trampled down your sanctuary.^{k 19}You treat us as though you had never been our ruler, as though we had never been your people.

64Why don’t you tear the sky apart and come down? The mountains would see you and shake with fear. ²They would tremble like water boiling over a hot fire. Come and reveal your power to your enemies, and make the nations tremble at your presence! ³There was a time when you came and did terrifying things that we did not expect; the mountains saw you and shook with fear. ^4*No one has ever seen or heard of a God like you, who does such deeds for those who put their hope in him. ⁵You welcome those who find joy in doing what is right, those who remember how you want them to live. You were angry with us, but we went on sinning; in spite of your great anger we have continued to do wrong since ancient times.^{l 6}All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are filthy through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind. ⁷No one turns to you in prayer; no one goes to you for help. You have hidden yourself from us and have abandoned^m us because of our sins.

⁸But you are our father, Lord. We are like clay, and you are like the potter. You created us, ⁹so do not be too angry with us or hold our sins against us for ever. We are your people; be merciful to us. ¹⁰Your sacred cities are like a desert; Jerusalem is a deserted ruin, ¹¹and our Temple, the sacred and beautiful place where our ancestors praised you, has been destroyed by fire. All the places we loved are in ruins. ¹²Lord, are you unmoved by all this? Are you going to do nothing and make us suffer more than we can endure?