Isaiah 63:17

Prayer Doubt Repentance

¹⁵ Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and glorious habitation. Where are Your zeal and might? Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained.

¹⁶ Yet You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.

Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

¹⁸ For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place, but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary.

¹⁹ We have become like those You never ruled, like those not called by Your name.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
KJV: O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
WEB: O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways, and harden our heart from your fear? Return for your servants’ sake, the tribes of your inheritance.
ASV: O Jehovah, why dost thou make us to err from thy ways, and hardenest our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants` sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
DARBY: Why, O Jehovah, hast thou made us to err from thy ways, hast hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
BLB: Why do You let us stray O YHWH, from Your ways, [and] harden our hearts from fearing You? Return Your servants for the sake of the tribes of Your inheritance.

ÅB: Hvorfor lar du oss fare vill fra dine veier, Herre? Hvorfor forherder du vårt hjerte, så det ikke frykter deg? Vend om for dine tjeneres skyld, for de stammers skyld som er din arv!
OTB: Hvorfor, Herre, får du oss til å avvike fra dine veier og forherder våre hjerter fra å frykte deg? Vend tilbake for dine tjeneres skyld, dine arvelods stammer.
B1930: Hvorfor lar du oss fare vill fra dine veier, Herre? Hvorfor forherder du vårt hjerte, så det ikke frykter dig? Vend om for dine tjeneres skyld, for de stammers skyld som er din arv!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 6:10
Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Read in context
Joshua 11:20
For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Read in context
Ezekiel 14:7–9
For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD will answer him Myself.
Read in context
Deuteronomy 2:30
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.
Read in context
Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
Read in context
Psalms 90:13
Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.
Read in context
John 12:40
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Read in context
Numbers 10:36
And when it came to rest, he would say: “Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.”
Read in context