Isaiah 59

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

1Lo, the hand of Jehovah Hath not been shortened from saving, Nor heavy his ear from hearing.

1Truly, the Lord's hand has not become short, so that he is unable to give salvation; and his ear is not shut from hearing:

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

2But your iniquities have been separating Between you and your God, And your sins have hidden The Presence from you--from hearing.

2But your sins have come between you and your God, and by your evil doings his face has been veiled from you, so that he will give you no answer.

3For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

3For your hands have been polluted with blood, And your fingers with iniquity, Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue perverseness doth mutter.

3For your hands are unclean with blood, and your fingers with sin; your lips have said false things, and your tongue gives out deceit.

4None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

4There is none calling in righteousness, And there is none pleading in faithfulness, Trusting on emptiness, and speaking falsehood, Conceiving perverseness, and bearing iniquity.

4No one puts forward an upright cause, or gives a true decision: their hope is in deceit, and their words are false; they are with child with sin, and give birth to evil.

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

5Eggs of a viper they have hatched, And webs of a spider they weave, Whoso is eating their eggs doth die, And the crushed hatcheth a viper.

5They give birth to snake's eggs, and make spider's threads: whoever takes their eggs for food comes to his death, and the egg which is crushed becomes a poison-snake.

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 become not a garment, Nor do they cover themselves with their works, Their works <FI>are<Fi> works of iniquity, And a deed of violence <FI>is<Fi> in their hands.

6Their twisted threads will not make clothing, and their works will give them nothing for covering themselves: their works are works of sin, and violent acts are in their hands.

7Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

7Their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed innocent blood, Their thoughts <FI>are<Fi> thoughts of iniquity, Spoiling and destruction <FI>are<Fi> in their highways.

7Their feet go quickly to evil, and they take delight in the death of the upright; their thoughts are thoughts of sin; wasting and destruction are in their ways.

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

8A way of peace they have not known, And there is no judgment in their paths, Their paths they have made perverse for themselves, No treader in it hath known peace.

8They have no knowledge of the way of peace, and there is no sense of what is right in their behaviour: they have made for themselves ways which are not straight; whoever goes in them has no knowledge of peace.

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

9Therefore hath judgment been far from us, And righteousness reacheth us not, We wait for light, and lo, darkness, For brightness--in thick darkness we go,

9For this cause our right is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us: we are looking for light, but there is only the dark; for the shining of the sun, but our way is in the night.

10We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.

10We feel like the blind <FI>for<Fi> the wall, Yea, as without eyes we feel, We have stumbled at noon as at twilight, In desolate places as the dead.

10We go on our way, like blind men feeling for the wall, even like those who have no eyes: we are running against things in daylight as if it was evening; our place is in the dark like dead men.

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

11We make a noise as bears--all of us, And as doves we coo sorely; We wait for judgment, and there is none, For salvation--it hath been far from us.

11We make noises of grief, like bears, and sad sounds like doves: we are looking for our right, but it is not there; for salvation, but it is far from us.

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 transgressions have been multiplied before Thee, And our sins have testified against us, For our transgressions <FI>are<Fi> with us, And our iniquities--we have known them.

12For our evil doings are increased before you, and our sins give witness against us: for our evil doings are with us, and we have knowledge of our sins:

13In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

13Transgressing, and lying against Jehovah, And removing from after our God, Speaking oppression and apostasy, Conceiving and uttering from the heart Words of falsehood.

13We have gone against the Lord, and been false to him, turning away from our God, our words have been uncontrolled, and in our hearts are thoughts of deceit.

14And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

14And removed backward is judgment, And righteousness afar off standeth, For truth hath been feeble in the street, And straightforwardness is not able to enter,

14And the right is turned back, and righteousness is far away: for good faith is not to be seen in the public places, and upright behaviour may not come into the town.

15Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

15And the truth is lacking, And whoso is turning aside from evil, Is making himself a spoil. And Jehovah seeth, and it is evil in His eyes, That there is no judgment.

15Yes, faith is gone; and he whose heart is turned from evil comes into the power of the cruel: and the Lord saw it, and he was angry that there was no one to take up their cause.

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

16And He seeth that there is no man, And is astonished that there is no intercessor, And His own arm giveth salvation to Him, And His righteousness--it sustained Him.

16And he saw that there was no man, and was surprised that there was no one to take up their cause: so his arm gave salvation, and he made righteousness his support.

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

17And He putteth on righteousness as a breastplate, And an helmet of salvation on His head, And He putteth on garments of vengeance <FI>for<Fi> clothing, And is covered, as <FI>with<Fi> an upper-robe, <FI>with<Fi> zeal.

17Yes, he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and salvation as a head-dress; and he put on punishment as clothing, and wrath as a robe.

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

18According to deeds--so He repayeth. Fury to His adversaries, <FI>their<Fi> deed to His enemies, To the isles <FI>their<Fi> deed He repayeth.

18He will give them the right reward of their doings, wrath to his attackers, punishment to his haters, and even on the sea-lands he will send punishment.

19So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

19And they fear from the west the name of Jehovah, And from the rising of the sun--His honour, When come in as a flood doth an adversary, The Spirit of Jehovah hath raised an ensign against him.

19So they will see the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the east: for he will come like a rushing stream, forced on by a wind of the Lord.

20And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

20And come to Zion hath a redeemer, Even to captives of transgression in Jacob, An affirmation of Jehovah.

20And as a saviour he will come to Zion, turning away sin from Jacob, says the Lord.

21As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; 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 the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

21And I--this <FI>is<Fi> My covenant with them, said Jehovah, My Spirit that <FI>is<Fi> on thee, And My words that I have put in thy mouth, Depart not from thy mouth, And from the mouth of thy seed, And from the mouth of thy seed's seed, said Jehovah, From henceforth unto the age!

21And as for me, this is my agreement with them, says the Lord: my spirit which is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not go away from your mouth, or from the mouth of your seed, or from the mouth of your seed's seed, says the Lord, from now and for ever.