Isaiah 59

1 Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear:2 but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness.4 None sues in righteousness, and none pleads in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.5 They hatch adders’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he who eats of their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths.8 The way of peace they don’t know; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whoever goes therein does not know peace.9 Therefore is justice far from us, neither does righteousness overtake us: we look for light, but, behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.10 We grope for the wall like the blind; yes, we grope as those who have no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among those who are lusty we are as dead men.11 We roar all like bears, and moan bitterly like doves: we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:13 transgressing and denying Yahweh, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.14 Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter.15 Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness, it upheld him.17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense.19 So shall they fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Yahweh drives.

20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says Yahweh.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Yahweh. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed’s seed,” saysYahweh, “from henceforth and forever.”

Isaiah 59

Injustice Brings Alienation from God

1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weakt to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you.t

2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;
your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.t

3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with sin;
your lips speak lies,
your tongue utters malicious words.

4 No one is concerned about justice;t
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false wordst and tell lies;
they conceive of oppressiont
and give birth to sin.

5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
a poisonous snake is hatched.t

6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are sinful;
they commit violent crimes.t

7 They are eager to do evil,t
quick to shed innocent blood.t
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy.t

8 They are unfamiliar with peace;
their deeds are unjust.t
They use deceitful methods,
and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.t

Israel Confesses its Sin

9 For this reason deliverancet is far from uss
and salvation does not reach us.
We wait for light,s but see only darkness;t
we wait fort a bright light,t but livet in deep darkness.t

10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
we grope like those who cannot see;t
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.
Though others are strong, we are like dead men.t

11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance,t but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.

12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds,t
and our sins testify against us;
indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;
we know our sins all too well.t

13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;
we turned back from following our God.
We stir upt oppression and rebellion;
we tell lies we concocted in our minds.t

14 Justice is driven back;
godlinesst stands far off.
Indeed,t honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.

15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased,t
for there is no justice.

The Lord Intervenes

16 He sees there is no advocate;t
he is shockedt that no one intervenes.
So he takes matters into his own hands;t
his desire for justice drives him on.t

17 He wears his desire for justicet like body armor,t
and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head.t
He puts on the garments of vengeancet
and wears zeal like a robe.

18 He repays them for what they have done,
dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries
and punishing his enemies.t
He repays the coastlands.t

19 In the west, people respects the Lord’s reputation;t
in the east they recognize his splendor.t
For he comes like a rushingt stream
driven on by wind sent from the Lord.t

20 “A protectort comes to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,”t says the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my promise tots them,” says the Lord. “My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,”t says the Lord.