Isaiah 63–64

Yahweh’s Day of Vengeance

63Who is this, coming from Edom,

from Bozrah in bright red garments?

Who is this honored in his garment,

lying down in his great strength?

“It is I, speaking in justice,

mighty^a to save!”

²Why are your garments^b red,

and your garments like he who treads in the winepress?

³“I have trodden the winepress alone,

and there was no man from the peoples with me.

And I trod them in my anger,

and I trampled them in my wrath,

and spattered their juice on my garments,

and stained all my clothing,

⁴for the day of vengeance was in my heart,

and the year of my blood-vengeance has come!

⁵And I looked, but^c there was no helper,

and I was appalled, but^d there was no one who sustains,

so^e my arm came to assist me,

and my wrath was what^f sustained me.

⁶And I trampled peoples in my anger,

and I made them drunk in my wrath,

and I brought their juice down to the earth.”

Remembering Yahweh’s Mercy

⁷I will mention the loyal love of Yahweh, the praises of Yahweh, according to all that Yahweh has done for us,

and the greatness of goodness to the house of Israel that he has done to them according to his mercy and the abundance of his loyal love.

⁸And he said, “Surely my people are children; they will not break faith.” And he became a Savior to them.

⁹In all their distress, there was no distress,^g

and the messenger of his presence^h saved them,

in his love and compassion he himself redeemed them,

and he lifted them up,

and he supported them all the days of old.

¹⁰Butⁱ they were the ones who^j rebelled,

and they grieved his Holy Spirit,^k

so^l he became an enemy to them;^m

he himself fought against them.

¹¹Thenⁿ his people remembered the days of old, of Moses.

Where is the one who led up them from the sea with the shepherds of his flock?

Where is the one who puts his Holy Spirit^o inside him,

¹²who made^p his magnificent arm move at^q the right hand of Moses,

who divided^r the waters before them,^s

to make an everlasting name for himself,

¹³who led^t them through the depths?

They did not stumble like a horse in the desert;

¹⁴like cattle in the valley that goes down, the Spirit of Yahweh gave him rest,^u

so you lead your people to make a magnificent name for yourself.

Prayer for Mercy

¹⁵Look from heaven,

and see from the lofty residence of your holiness and glory.

Where are your zeal and strength?

Your compassion^v and mercy to me hold themselves back.

¹⁶For you are our father, although Abraham does not know us,

and Israel does not acknowledge us.

You, Yahweh are our father,

Our Redeemer from of old is your name.

¹⁷Why do you make us wander from your ways, Yahweh?

You harden our heart so that we do not fear^w you.

Turn back for the sake of your servants,

the tribes of your inheritance.

¹⁸Your holy people^x took possession for a little while;

our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.

¹⁹We have been since antiquity; you did not rule them;

they were not called by your name.^y

64^a Would that you would tear the heavens and come down;

the mountains would quake before you,

^2b as fire kindles brushwood,

the fire causes water to boil,

to make your name known to your adversaries,

that the nations might tremble from your presence.^c

³When you did terrible deeds which we did not expect,^d you came down;

the mountains quaked because of your presence.^e

⁴And since ancient times they have not heard,

have not listened,

no eye has seen a God except you;

he acts^f for the one who waits for him.

⁵You meet with the one who rejoices,

one who does righteousness.

In your ways they remember you.

Look! You were angry and we sinned against them in ancient times and we were saved.

⁶And we all have become like the unclean,

and all our deeds of justice like a menstrual cloth,

And we all wither like a leaf,

and our iniquities take us away like the wind.

⁷And there is no one who calls on your name,

who pulls himself up to keep hold of you,

for you have hidden your face from us,^g

and melted us into the hand of our iniquity.

⁸Yet now Yahweh, you are our father;

we are the clay and you are our potter,^h

and we all are the work of your hand.

⁹You must not be exceedingly angry, Yahweh,

and you must not remember iniquity forever!

Look! Behold, now! We all are your people!

¹⁰Your holy citiesⁱ have become a wilderness;

Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

¹¹Our holy and beautiful temple,^j where our ancestors^k praised you has been burned^l by fire,

and all our precious objects have become ruins.^m

¹²Will you control yourself because of these, Yahweh?

Will you be silent?

And will you oppress us exceedingly?