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Separation from God

59 Behold, Adonai’s hand is not too short to save,
nor His ear too dull to hear.
Rather, your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God.
Your sins have hidden His face from you,
so that He does not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood
    and your fingers with iniquity.
Your lips have spoken lies,
    your tongue mutters wickedness.
No one sues justly,
and none pleads a case honestly.
They trust in confusion and speak lies.
They conceive mischief,
    and bring forth iniquity.
They hatch adders’ eggs,
and weave the spider’s web—
whoever eats their eggs dies;
crack one open, a viper breaks out.
Their webs will not become clothing,
nor will they cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are works of iniquity,
    an act of violence is in their hands.
Their feet run after evil.
They rush to shed innocent blood.[a]
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity.
Violence and ruin are on their highways.
They do not know the path of peace,
and there is no justice in their tracks.
They have made their paths crooked.
Whoever walks in them will not experience shalom.

That is why justice is far from us
and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but behold darkness,
    for brightness, but walk in gloom.
10 We grope along the wall like the blind.
We grope like those with no eyes.
We stumble at noon as at twilight.
We are like the dead in desolation.
11 All of us growl like bears
    or moan like doves.
We hope for justice, but there is none;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You,
and our sins testify against us,
for our transgressions are with us,
    and we know our iniquities:
13 transgressing and denying Adonai,
    turning back from following our God,
    speaking oppression and revolt,
    conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.
14 Justice is turned back,
    and righteousness stands far off.
For truth has stumbled in the street,
    and uprightness cannot enter.
15 So now truth is missing,
and whoever shuns evil becomes prey.

Now when Adonai saw it, it was displeasing in His eyes
    that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one—
He was astonished that no one was interceding.[b]
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him,
and His righteousness upheld Him.
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate
and a helmet of salvation on His head.
He clothed Himself in robes of vengeance
and wrapped Himself in zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds,
    so He will repay:
wrath to His adversaries,
    retribution to His enemies.
To the islands He will repay as due.
19 So from the west they will fear the Name of Adonai,
and His glory from the rising of the sun.
For He will come like a rushing stream
    driven along by the Ruach Adonai.

20 “But a Redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.

21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says Adonai: “My Ruach who is on you,[c] and My words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your offspring, or from the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says Adonai, “from now on and forever.”

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
But your iniquities have separated(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(E)
For your hands are stained with blood,(F)
    your fingers with guilt.(G)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(H)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(I)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(J) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(K)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(L)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(M)
    and spin a spider’s web.(N)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(O)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(P) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(Q)
They pursue evil schemes;(R)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(S)
The way of peace they do not know;(T)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(U)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(V)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(W)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(X) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(Y) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.(Z)
11 We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.(AA)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses(AB) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify(AC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:(AD)
13 rebellion(AE) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(AF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(AG)
    uttering lies(AH) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(AI) is driven back,
    and righteousness(AJ) stands at a distance;
truth(AK) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(AL) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.(AM)
16 He saw that there was no one,(AN)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(AO)
so his own arm achieved salvation(AP) for him,
    and his own righteousness(AQ) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(AR)
    and the helmet(AS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(AT) of vengeance(AU)
    and wrapped himself in zeal(AV) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
    so will he repay(AW)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands(AX) their due.
19 From the west,(AY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,(AZ) they will revere his glory.(BA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath(BB) of the Lord drives along.[a]

20 “The Redeemer(BC) will come to Zion,(BD)
    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(BE)
declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant(BF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(BG) who is on you, will not depart from you,(BH) and my words that I have put in your mouth(BI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight