Isaiah 59

1Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

1Listen, the LORD’s arm is not too short to save you, and his ear is not too deaf to hear you.

2but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear.

2But your sins have built a wall between you and your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you, so he will not listen.

3For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue muttereth wickedness.

3Your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with guilt. Your lips speak lies and your tongues mutter wicked things.

4None sueth in righteousness, and none pleadeth in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

4No one sues fairly; no one pleads their case with the truth. They trust in empty arguments and tell lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

5They hatch adders’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth; and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

5They hatch poisonous snakes’ eggs and weave spider webs. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and if an egg is crushed, a viper crawls out.

6Their 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.

6Their webs cannot be made into clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil, and their hands are full of violence.

7Their 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.

7Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to kill innocent people. Their thoughts are focused on sin; ruin and destruction follow them wherever they go.

8The way of peace they know not; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein doth not know peace.

8They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their paths. They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks on them knows peace.

9Therefore is justice far from us, neither doth righteousness overtake us: we look for light, but, behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.

9That is why justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but find only darkness; we look for brightness, but walk in gloom.

10We grope for the wall like the blind; yea, we grope as they that have no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among them that are lusty we are as dead men.

10We grope for the wall like the blind; we feel our way along like people without eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.

11We roar all like bears, and moan sore like doves: we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

11We all growl like bears and moan sadly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; we look for rescue, but it is far away.

12For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:

12For our many sins are piled up before you, and our sins testify against us. We know our rebellions, and we recognize our guilt.

13transgressing and denying Jehovah, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

13We have rebelled and been unfaithful to the LORD; we have turned away from our God. We have talked about oppression and revolt; we have conceived and muttered lies from our hearts.

14And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.

14Justice is pushed back, and righteousness stands far off. Truth has fallen in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

15Yea, truth is lacking; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And Jehovah saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

15Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to stay away from evil is attacked. The LORD saw this, and he was displeased that there was no justice.

16And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it upheld him.

16He saw that there was no one to help; he was amazed that no one stepped in to intervene. So his own power brought salvation, and his own righteousness supported him.

17And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.

17He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He put on clothes of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.

18According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense.

18He will repay people for what they have done. He will pour out his anger on his enemies and punish his foes; he will pay back the distant lands what they deserve.

19So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Jehovah driveth.

19Then people from the west will fear the name of the LORD, and those from the east will fear his glory. For he will come like a rushing river driven by the breath of the LORD.

20And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Jehovah.

20'A Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in the family of Jacob who turn from their sins,' declares the LORD.

21And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever.

21'As for me, this is my covenant with them,' says the LORD. 'My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not leave you. They will be in your mouth, in the mouths of your children, and in the mouths of their children from now on and forever,' says the LORD.