Isaiah 59
59
Sin, confession and redemption
1Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
2But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
3For your hands are stained with blood,
your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken falsely,
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4No-one calls for justice;
no-one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
5They hatch the eggs of vipers
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and acts of violence are in their hands.
7Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.
They pursue evil schemes;
acts of violence mark their ways.
8The way of peace they do not know;
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
no-one who walks along them will know peace.
9So justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10Like the blind we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.
11We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12For our offences are many in your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offences are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13rebellion and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,
uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
14So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16He saw that there was no-one,
he was appalled that there was no-one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.
17He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18According to what they have done,
so will he repay
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands their due.
19From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the Lord drives along.#59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
20‘The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,’
declares the Lord.
21‘As for me, this is my covenant with them,’ says the Lord. ‘My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants – from this time on and for ever,’ says the Lord.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 59: NIVUK
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Isaiah 59
59
Rampant Transgression
1Look! The hand of Yahweh is not too short to save,#Literally “from saving”
and his ear is not too dull to hear.#Literally “from hearing”
2Rather, your iniquities have been barriers#Literally “dividers” between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you, from hearing.
3For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with iniquity.
Your lips have spoken lies,
your tongue speaks wickedness.
4There is nobody who pleads with#Literally “calling in” justice,
and there is nobody who judges with honesty.
They rely on nothing
and speak vanity.
They conceive trouble
and beget iniquity;
5they hatch viper eggs,
and they weave a spider web.
One who eats their eggs dies,
and that which is pressed is hatched as a serpent.
6Their webs cannot become clothing,
and they cannot cover themselves with their works.
Their works are works of iniquity,
and deeds#Hebrew “deed” of violence are in their hands.
7Their feet run to evil,
and they hasten to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
devastation and destruction are in their highways.
8They do not know the way of peace,
and there is no justice in their firm paths.
They have made their paths crooked for themselves;
everyone who walks#Literally “walking” in it knows no peace.
9Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We wait for light, but#Or “and” look! there is darkness;
for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
10We grope like the blind along a wall,
and we grope as without#Literally “like there are no” eyes.
We stumble at noon as in the twilight;
among the strong we are like the dead.
11We all groan like bears,
and we coo mutteringly like doves.
We wait for justice, but#Or “and” there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12For our transgressions are numerous before you,
and our sins testify#Or “answers” against us.
Indeed, our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:
13transgressing and denying Yahweh,
and turning away from following#Literally “back from behind” our God;
speaking oppression and falsehood,
conceiving and uttering words of deception from the heart.
14And justice is pushed back,
and righteousness stands afar;
for truth stumbles in the public square,
and straightforwardness is unable to enter,
15and truth is missing,
and he who turns aside from evil is plundered.
And Yahweh saw,
and it was displeasing in his eyes that there was no justice
16And he saw that there was no man,
and he was appalled that there was no one who intercedes,
so#Or “and” his arm came to assist him,
and his righteousness was what#Literally “it” sustained him.
17And he put on righteousness like a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head,
and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a robe.
18According to deeds, so he will repay;
wrath to his enemies, requital to those who are his enemies.#Literally “hostile”
He will repay requital to the coastlands.
19So#Or “And” they shall fear the name of Yahweh from the west,
and his glory from the sunrise,
for he will come like a narrow stream;
the wind of Yahweh drives it on.
20“And a redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn away from transgression,”
declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh.
21“And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says Yahweh:
my spirit that is upon you,
and my words that I have placed in your mouth
shall not depart from your mouth,
or#Or “and” from the mouths#Hebrew “mouth” of your children,#Literally “offspring”
or#Or “and” from the mouths#Hebrew “mouth” of your children’s children,”#Literally “the offspring of your offspring”
says Yahweh, “from now on and forever.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software