因罪與主隔絕

59 看啊,耶和華的臂膀並非沒有力量拯救,

祂的耳朵並非聾得聽不見。
你們的罪過使你們與上帝隔絕,
你們的罪惡使祂轉臉不看你們,
也不聽你們的祈求。
你們的手染滿了血污,
手指沾滿了罪惡。
你們的嘴唇吐出謊言,
舌頭嘀咕惡事。
無人按公義訴訟,
無人憑誠實申辯。
你們依靠詭辯,口出謊言,
心懷鬼胎,生出罪惡。
你們孵毒蛇蛋,
人吃了這蛋必死,
蛋破後爬出毒蛇。
你們編蜘蛛網,
這網不能做衣服遮蓋你們。
你們行為邪惡,
做事殘暴。
你們奔向邪惡,
急於濫殺無辜;
你們心懷惡念,
所到之處大肆毀滅。
你們不知道平安之路,
你們的行徑毫無公正;
你們走歪門邪道,
跟從你們的必得不到平安。
因此,正義遠離我們,
公義臨不到我們。
我們渴望光明,卻得到黑暗;
我們渴望曙光,卻仍然走在幽暗中。
10 我們像盲人一樣沿牆摸索,
像無眼睛的人一樣探路。
我們在中午也跌跌撞撞,
如同走在晚上。
我們在強壯人當中如同死人。
11 我們像熊一樣咆哮,
如鴿子一般哀鳴。
我們渴望正義,卻得不到;
渴望得到拯救,卻遙不可及。
12 因為我們在上帝面前過犯纍纍,
我們的罪惡向我們發出控訴。
我們被過犯纏身,自知有罪。
13 我們悖逆,否認耶和華,
離棄我們的上帝,
說欺壓、叛逆的話,
吐露心中編織的謊言。
14 正義被趕逐,
公義不能靠近,
真理倒在街上,
正直被拒之門外。
15 真理無處可尋,
遠離惡事的人反成了獵物。
耶和華因正義蕩然無存而不悅。
16 祂因無人、
無一個人主持公道而驚訝,
於是親自伸出臂膀,
以自己的公義施行拯救。
17 祂以公義作鎧甲,
以救恩作頭盔,
以復仇作衣服,
以熱忱作外袍。
18 祂必按各人的行為報應各人,
向祂的敵人發烈怒,
懲罰祂的仇敵,
向眾海島施行報應。
19 這樣,日落之處的人必敬畏耶和華的名,
日出之地的人必對祂的榮耀肅然起敬。
祂必奔來,如被耶和華之氣推動的急流。

20 耶和華說:「必有一位救贖主來到錫安,
到雅各那些離棄罪惡的子孫那裡。」

21 耶和華說:「我親自與他們立約,我賜給他們的靈和我放在他們口中的話,必不離開他們和他們的子子孫孫,從現在直到永遠。這是耶和華說的。」

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

Separated from God

59 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not (A)shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will (B)not hear.
For (C)your hands are defiled with [a]blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.

No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in (D)empty words and speak lies;
(E)They conceive [b]evil and bring forth iniquity.
They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.

(F)Their webs will not become garments,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And the act of violence is in their hands.
(G)Their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed (H)innocent blood;
(I)Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Wasting and (J)destruction are in their paths.
The way of (K)peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
(L)They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

Sin Confessed

Therefore justice is far from us,
Nor does righteousness overtake us;
(M)We look for light, but there is darkness!
For brightness, but we walk in blackness!
10 (N)We grope for the wall like the blind,
And we grope as if we had no eyes;
We stumble at noonday as at twilight;
We are as dead men in desolate places.
11 We all growl like bears,
And (O)moan sadly like doves;
We look for justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our (P)transgressions are multiplied before You,
And our sins testify against us;
For our transgressions are with us,
And as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord,
And departing from our God,
Speaking oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and uttering (Q)from the heart words of falsehood.
14 Justice is turned back,
And righteousness stands afar off;
For truth is fallen in the street,
And equity cannot enter.
15 So truth fails,
And he who departs from evil makes himself a (R)prey.

The Redeemer of Zion

Then the Lord saw it, and [c]it displeased Him
That there was no justice.
16 (S)He saw that there was no man,
And (T)wondered that there was no intercessor;
(U)Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
17 (V)For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 (W)According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,
Fury to His adversaries,
Recompense to His enemies;
The coastlands He will fully repay.
19 (X)So shall they fear
The name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in (Y)like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

20 “The(Z) Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”
Says the Lord.

21 “As(AA) for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:3 bloodshed
  2. Isaiah 59:4 trouble
  3. Isaiah 59:15 Lit. it was evil in His eyes