Isaiah 64:5
New International Version
You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved?

New Living Translation
You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved?

English Standard Version
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?

Berean Standard Bible
You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

King James Bible
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

New King James Version
You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.

New American Standard Bible
You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, We continued in our sins for a long time; Yet shall we be saved?

NASB 1995
You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, We continued in them a long time; And shall we be saved?

NASB 1977
Thou dost meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers Thee in Thy ways. Behold, Thou wast angry, for we sinned, We continued in them a long time; And shall we be saved?

Legacy Standard Bible
You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry; indeed we have sinned— We continued in them a long time— And shall we be saved?

Amplified Bible
You meet him who rejoices in doing that which is morally right, Who remembers You in Your ways. Indeed, You were angry, for we sinned; We have long continued in our sins [prolonging Your anger]. And shall we be saved [under such circumstances]?

Christian Standard Bible
You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember you in your ways. But we have sinned, and you were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember You in Your ways. But we have sinned, and You were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

American Standard Version
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, and we sinned: in them have we been of long time; and shall we be saved?

Contemporary English Version
You help all who gladly obey and do what you want, but sin makes you angry. Only by your help can we ever be saved.

English Revised Version
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wast wroth, and we sinned: in them have we been of long time, and shall we be saved?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You greeted the one who gladly does right and remembers your ways. You showed your anger, because we've sinned. We've continued to sin for a long time. Can we still be saved?

Good News Translation
You 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.

International Standard Version
You come to the aid of those who gladly do what's right, To those who remember you in your ways. See, you were angry, and we sinned against them for a long time, but we will be saved.

Majority Standard Bible
You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

NET Bible
You assist those who delight in doing what is right, who observe your commandments. Look, you were angry because we violated them continually. How then can we be saved?

New Heart English Bible
You meet him who rejoices and works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Look, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time; and shall we be saved?

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth, and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

World English Bible
You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You have met with the rejoicer "" And the doer of righteousness, "" In Your ways they remember You, "" Behold, You have been angry when we sin, "" By them [is] continuance, and we are saved.

Young's Literal Translation
Thou hast met with the rejoicer And the doer of righteousness, In Thy ways they remember Thee, Lo, Thou hast been wroth when we sin, By them is continuance, and we are saved.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou mettest him rejoicing and doing justice, they shall remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou wert angry; and we shall sin in them of old, and we shall be saved.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You have met with those who rejoice in doing justice. By your ways, they will remember you. Behold, you have been angry, for we have sinned. In this, we have continued, but we will be saved.

New American Bible
Would that you might meet us doing right, that we might be mindful of you in our ways! Indeed, you are angry; we have sinned, we have acted wickedly.

New Revised Standard Version
You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thou meetest with joy him that works righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways; behold, thou art wroth; for we have transgressed against thy ways, and yet we shall be saved.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you meet in sweetness with those who are doing righteousness, and they shall remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry and we sinned against them. In eternity we shall be redeemed
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou didst take away him that joyfully worked righteousness, Those that remembered Thee in Thy ways-- Behold, Thou wast wroth, and we sinned-- Upon them have we stayed of old, that we might be saved.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For these blessings shall happen to them that work righteousness, and they shall remember thy ways: behold, thou wast angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for God's Power
4From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. 5You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? 6Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.…

Cross References
Psalm 85:10-13
Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed. / Faithfulness sprouts from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. / The LORD will indeed provide what is good, and our land will yield its increase. ...

Psalm 103:17-18
But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children— / to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Hosea 6:3
So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me.

Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth who carry out His justice. Seek righteousness; seek humility. Perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger.

2 Chronicles 15:2
So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. / For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

John 14:21
Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

John 15:10
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.


Treasury of Scripture

You meet him that rejoices and works righteousness, those that remember you in your ways: behold, you are wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

meetest

Exodus 20:24
An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

Exodus 25:22
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Exodus 29:42,43
This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee…

rejoiceth

Psalm 25:10
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Psalm 37:4
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Psalm 112:1
Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

those that

Isaiah 26:8,9
Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee…

Isaiah 56:1-7
Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed…

thou art wroth

Isaiah 63:10
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

Psalm 90:7-9
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled…

in those

Psalm 103:17
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

Jeremiah 31:18-20
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God…

Hosea 6:3
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Jump to Previous
Acts Angry Continuance Dead Dirty Gladly Good Help Joyfully Meet Meetest Rejoices Rejoiceth Remember Remembered Remembers Right Righteousness Robe Saved Sin Sinned Sins Time Unclean Wast Ways Wind Worked Worketh Works Wroth
Jump to Next
Acts Angry Continuance Dead Dirty Gladly Good Help Joyfully Meet Meetest Rejoices Rejoiceth Remember Remembered Remembers Right Righteousness Robe Saved Sin Sinned Sins Time Unclean Wast Ways Wind Worked Worketh Works Wroth
Isaiah 64
1. The church prays for the illustration of God's power
4. Celebrating God's mercy, it makes confession of their natural corruptions
9. It complains of their afflictions














You welcome those who gladly do right
This phrase highlights God's favor towards those who pursue righteousness with joy. The Hebrew root for "welcome" is "פָּגַע" (paga), which can imply meeting or encountering with favor. This suggests that God actively seeks out and blesses those who live according to His commandments. The phrase "gladly do right" emphasizes a willing and joyful obedience, not out of compulsion but out of love for God's law. Historically, this reflects the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where obedience was a sign of faithfulness and devotion.

who remember Your ways
The act of remembering in Hebrew, "זָכַר" (zakar), is more than a mental recall; it involves a conscious decision to act in accordance with God's statutes. "Your ways" refers to the divine paths or laws given to Israel, which are meant to guide them in holiness and righteousness. This phrase underscores the importance of not just knowing God's commandments but actively living them out. In the scriptural context, remembering God's ways is a call to faithfulness and a return to the covenant relationship.

Surely You were angry, for we sinned
This acknowledges the reality of God's righteous anger in response to sin. The Hebrew word for "angry" is "קָצַף" (qatsaph), indicating a deep, righteous indignation. Sin, "חָטָא" (chata), is a transgression against God's law, and this phrase reflects the understanding that sin disrupts the relationship between God and His people. Historically, Israel experienced God's anger through various judgments when they strayed from His commandments, emphasizing the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.

How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?
This rhetorical question highlights the hopelessness of salvation without repentance and divine intervention. The Hebrew concept of salvation, "יָשַׁע" (yasha), involves deliverance and restoration. The phrase "remain in our sins" suggests a state of unrepentance and continued disobedience. This reflects the biblical theme that salvation is impossible without turning away from sin and seeking God's mercy. It serves as a call to repentance, urging believers to seek God's forgiveness and transformation.

(5) Thou meetest him . . .--The "meeting" is obviously one of favour. That was the law of God's dealings with men. He met, in this sense, those who at once rejoiced in righteousness and practised it. But with Israel it was not so. Their sins had brought them under His anger, not under His favour.

In those is continuance . . .--The clause is difficult, and has been variously interpreted--(1) "In these (the ways of God) there is permanence (literally, eternity), that we may be saved;" and (2) "In these (the ways of evil) have we been a long time, and shall we be saved?" The latter seems preferable. So taken, the clause carries on the confession of the people's sinfulness.

Verse 5. - Thou meetest him that rejoiceth. God "meets" with gracious welcome and ready aid whoever rejoices in doing righteousness and serving him, whoever "remembers him in his ways." But this, alas: is not the present relationship between God and Israel. God is "angry" with them - they must, therefore, "have sinned;" and so they proceed to confess their sin. In those is continuance, and we shall be saved. This is a very difficult passage. Mr. Cheyne regards it as hopelessly corrupt. Bishop Lowth and Ewald attempt emendations. Of those who accept the present text, some understand "in those" of God's ways, others of the "sins" implied in the confession, "We have sinned:" some make the last clause an affirmation, others a question. Delitzsch renders, "Already we have been long in this state (of sin), and shall we be saved?" Grotius and Starck, "If we had remained in them (i.e. thy ways) continually, we should have been saved."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You welcome
פָּגַ֤עְתָּ (pā·ḡa‘·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6293: To impinge, by accident, violence, by importunity

those who gladly
שָׂשׂ֙ (śāś)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7797: To be bright, cheerful

do
וְעֹ֣שֵׂה (wə·‘ō·śêh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

right,
צֶ֔דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6664: The right, equity, prosperity

who remember
יִזְכְּר֑וּךָ (yiz·kə·rū·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2142: To mark, to remember, to mention, to be male

Your ways.
בִּדְרָכֶ֖יךָ (biḏ·rā·ḵe·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

Surely
הֵן־ (hên-)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

You
אַתָּ֤ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

were angry,
קָצַ֙פְתָּ֙ (qā·ṣap̄·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7107: To crack off, burst out in rage

for we sinned.
וַֽנֶּחֱטָ֔א (wan·ne·ḥĕ·ṭā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 2398: To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn

How can we be saved
וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעַ׃ (wə·niw·wā·šê·a‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 3467: To be open, wide, free, to be safe, to free, succor

if we remain in our sins?
עוֹלָ֖ם (‘ō·w·lām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 64:5 You meet him who rejoices and works (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 64:4
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