Isaiah 59
59
Salvation Delayed
1#This poem brings together a lament of the postexilic community and a harsh word of judgment from the prophet. After the opening rhetorical question, each of the stanzas begins with a reference to the justice and right judgment which are lacking among the people (vv. 4, 9, 14). Toward the end of the poem, God is depicted as a Divine Warrior (vv. 16–20) who is the only one who can intervene in order to bring redemption. This same Divine Warrior imagery is repeated in a similar fashion in 63:1–6. No, the hand of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.#Is 50:2; Nm 11:23.
2Rather, it is your crimes
that separate you from your God,
It is your sins that make him hide his face
so that he does not hear you.
3For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with crime;
Your lips speak falsehood,
and your tongue utters deceit.#Is 1:15.
4No one brings suit justly,
no one pleads truthfully;
They trust an empty plea and tell lies;
they conceive mischief and bring forth malice.
5#The eggs signify evil works, doing positive harm; the webs are devices that serve no useful purpose. They hatch adders’ eggs,
and weave spiders’ webs:
Whoever eats the eggs will die,
if one of them is crushed, it will hatch a viper;#Jb 20:12–16.
6Their webs cannot serve as clothing,
nor can they cover themselves with their works.
Their works are evil works,
and deeds of violence are in their hands.
7Their feet run to evil,
and they hasten to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness,
violence and destruction are on their highways.#Prv 1:15, 19; 2:8–9, 12–13, 15, 18–19; Rom 3:15.
8The way of peace they know not,
and there is no justice on their paths;
Their roads they have made crooked,
no one who walks in them knows peace.
Acknowledgment of Transgressions
9#The turning point in the poem comes when the people acknowledge their transgressions and describe the horror of their present state. Light is a metaphor for salvation (cf. 9:1; 42:16; 60:1–3, 19–20) and darkness represents sin and disaster. That is why judgment is far from us
and justice does not reach us.
We look for light, but there is darkness;
for brightness, and we walk in gloom!#Am 5:18–19.
10Like those who are blind we grope along the wall,
like people without eyes we feel our way.
We stumble at midday as if at twilight,
among the vigorous, we are like the dead.
11Like bears we all growl,
like doves we moan without ceasing.
We cry out for justice, but it is not there;
for salvation, but it is far from us.#Is 38:14.
12For our transgressions before you are many,
our sins bear witness against us.
Our transgressions are present to us,
and our crimes we acknowledge:
13Transgressing, and denying the Lord,
turning back from following our God,
Planning fraud and treachery,
uttering lying words conceived in the heart.
14Judgment is turned away,
and justice stands far off;
For truth stumbles in the public square,
and uprightness cannot enter.#Jb 28:28.
15Fidelity is lacking,
and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.
Divine Intervention
The Lord saw this, and was aggrieved
that there was no justice.
16He saw that there was no one,
was appalled that there was none to intervene;
Then his own arm brought about the victory,
and his justice sustained him.
17He put on justice as his breastplate,
victory as a helmet on his head;
He clothed himself with garments of vengeance,
wrapped himself in a mantle of zeal.#Wis 5:17–20; Eph 6:14–16; 1 Thes 5:8.
18According to their deeds he repays his enemies
and requites his foes with wrath;
to the coastlands he renders recompense.
19Those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,
and those in the east, his glory,
Coming like a pent-up stream
driven on by the breath of the Lord.
20Then for Zion shall come a redeemer,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression—oracle of the Lord.#Is 35:4; Rom 11:26–27.
21#This verse makes the transition from chaps. 56–59 to chaps. 60–62. Oracles of judgment yield to oracles about God’s redemptive action. This is my covenant with them,
which I myself have made, says the Lord:
My spirit which is upon you
and my words that I have put in your mouth
Shall not depart from your mouth,
nor from the mouths of your children
Nor the mouths of your children’s children
from this time forth and forever, says the Lord.#Is 1:27.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
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.”
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