Isaiah, 59

1. Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

1. Yahweh's arm is not too short to save nor his ear too dull to hear.

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

2. It is your sins, rather, that separate you from God. It is your iniquities that veil his face, so that he does not hear you.

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

3. For your hands are blood-stained, your fingers blotted with crimes; your lips have spoken lies, your tongues have uttered deceit.

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

4. No one fights for a right cause; no one makes a truthful plea. They all tell lies and rely on vanity; they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

5. They 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.

5. They hatch vipers' eggs and weave spiders' webs. Whoever eats their eggs dies; and from an egg that is crushed a venomous snake is hatched.

6. Their 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.

6. Their thread gives useless cloth; their works are of help to no one. Their plans are evil plots executed in deeds of violence.

7. Their 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.

7. Their feet rush to do evil; they are quick to shed innocent blood. Their minds are full of wicked thoughts, leaving in their wake ruin and havoc.

8. The 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.

8. They do not know the way of peace; from them no one can expect justice. They have made their roads tricky and crooked so that he who follows them is lost or waylaid.

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

9. So, far away from us lies justice, and beyond reach is righteousness. We look for light but behold darkness; we long for brightness but walk in gloom.

10. We 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].

10. Like the blind we grope for the wall, like those without eyes we feel our way. We stumble at noon as at twilight; we are dead in the midst of our sins.

11. We 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.

11. We are like bears that growl; we are like doves that moan. We look for justice and find none; we wait for salvation that never comes.

12. For 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;

12. For our offenses before you are many, and our sins bear witness against us. We acknowledge our offenses; we know all our iniquities.

13. In 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.

13. Yes, we have betrayed and deceived Yahweh, turning away from following our God. We have planned violence and rebellion; we have thought and murmured lies.

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

14. Justice has been withheld, righteousness stands aloof, for truth has fallen in the public square and integrity is not allowed to enter.

15. Yea, 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.

15. There is no sincerity nor honesty. The man who turns from evil is despoiled. Yahweh has seen this and is aggrieved that justice does not exist.

16. And 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.

16. Appalled at seeing none would intervene, his own arm brought about the victory, his justice giving him its support.

17. For 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.

17. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and salvation as a helmet upon his head. He wrapped himself in garments of vengeance and put on a mantle of fury.

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

18. To each he will pay his due - wrath to his enemy, reprisal to his foe.

19. So 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.

19. Those in the west will hear the name of Yahweh; those in the east will see his glory. For it will come like a pent-up stream driven by the breath of Yahweh.

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

20. But to Zion he will come as redeemer, and to those of Jacob who turn from sin. This is Yahweh speaking.

21. As 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.

21. For my part, this is my covenant with them, says Yahweh. My spirit which I have poured out on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will never leave you, nor your children, nor your children's children forever and ever.