Isaiah 59
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 59
Salvation Delayed
1 [a]No, the hand of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.(A)
2 Rather, it is your crimes
that separate you from your God,
It is your sins that make him hide his face
so that he does not hear you.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with crime;
Your lips speak falsehood,
and your tongue utters deceit.(B)
4 No one brings suit justly,
no one pleads truthfully;
They trust an empty plea and tell lies;
they conceive mischief and bring forth malice.
5 [b]They hatch adders’ eggs,
and weave spiders’ webs:
Whoever eats the eggs will die,
if one of them is crushed, it will hatch a viper;(C)
6 Their webs cannot serve as clothing,
nor can they cover themselves with their works.
Their works are evil works,
and deeds of violence are in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil,
and they hasten to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness,
violence and destruction are on their highways.(D)
8 The way of peace they know not,
and there is no justice on their paths;
Their roads they have made crooked,
no one who walks in them knows peace.
Acknowledgment of Transgressions
9 [c]That is why judgment is far from us
and justice does not reach us.
We look for light, but there is darkness;
for brightness, and we walk in gloom!(E)
10 Like those who are blind we grope along the wall,
like people without eyes we feel our way.
We stumble at midday as if at twilight,
among the vigorous, we are like the dead.
11 Like bears we all growl,
like doves we moan without ceasing.
We cry out for justice, but it is not there;
for salvation, but it is far from us.(F)
12 For our transgressions before you are many,
our sins bear witness against us.
Our transgressions are present to us,
and our crimes we acknowledge:
13 Transgressing, and denying the Lord,
turning back from following our God,
Planning fraud and treachery,
uttering lying words conceived in the heart.
14 Judgment is turned away,
and justice stands far off;
For truth stumbles in the public square,
and uprightness cannot enter.(G)
15 Fidelity is lacking,
and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.
Divine Intervention
The Lord saw this, and was aggrieved
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
was appalled that there was none to intervene;
Then his own arm brought about the victory,
and his justice sustained him.
17 He put on justice as his breastplate,
victory as a helmet on his head;
He clothed himself with garments of vengeance,
wrapped himself in a mantle of zeal.(H)
18 According to their deeds he repays his enemies
and requites his foes with wrath;
to the coastlands he renders recompense.
19 Those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,
and those in the east, his glory,
Coming like a pent-up stream
driven on by the breath of the Lord.
20 Then for Zion shall come a redeemer,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression—oracle of the Lord.(I)
21 [d]This is my covenant with them,
which I myself have made, says the Lord:
My spirit which is upon you
and my words that I have put in your mouth
Shall not depart from your mouth,
nor from the mouths of your children
Nor the mouths of your children’s children
from this time forth and forever, says the Lord.(J)
Footnotes
- 59:1–20 This poem brings together a lament of the postexilic community and a harsh word of judgment from the prophet. After the opening rhetorical question, each of the stanzas begins with a reference to the justice and right judgment which are lacking among the people (vv. 4, 9, 14). Toward the end of the poem, God is depicted as a Divine Warrior (vv. 16–20) who is the only one who can intervene in order to bring redemption. This same Divine Warrior imagery is repeated in a similar fashion in 63:1–6.
- 59:5–6 The eggs signify evil works, doing positive harm; the webs are devices that serve no useful purpose.
- 59:9–15 The turning point in the poem comes when the people acknowledge their transgressions and describe the horror of their present state. Light is a metaphor for salvation (cf. 9:1; 42:16; 60:1–3, 19–20) and darkness represents sin and disaster.
- 59:21 This verse makes the transition from chaps. 56–59 to chaps. 60–62. Oracles of judgment yield to oracles about God’s redemptive action.
Isaiah 59
King James Version
59 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot 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.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
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.
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;
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.
14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot 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.
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.
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 cloak.
18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
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.
20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
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.
Исаия 59
1940 Bulgarian Bible
59 Ето, ръката на Господа не се е скъсила та да не може да спаси, Нито ухото Му отъпяло та да не може да чува;
2 Но вашите беззакония са ви отлъчили от Бога ви, И вашите грехове са скрили лицето Му от вас, та не ще да чува.
3 Защото ръцете ви са осквернени от кръв, И пръстите ви от беззаконие; Устните ви говорят лъжи; езикът ви мърмори нечестие.
4 Никой не изкарва праведна призовка и никой не съди по истината; Уповават на суетата и говорят лъжи; Зачеват злоби и раждат беззаконие.
5 Мътят ехиднини яйца, И тъкат паяжина. Който яде от яйцата им умира; И ако се счупи някое, излиза ехидна,
6 Паяжината им няма да стане на дрехи, Нито ще се облекат от изработките си; Делата им са беззаконни дела, И насилственото действие е в ръцете им.
7 Нозете им тичат към злото, И бързат да пролеят невинна кръв; Размишленията им са беззаконни размишления; Опустошение и разорение има в пътищата им.
8 Те не знаят пътя на мира, И няма правосъдие в стъпките им; Сами си изкривиха пътищата; Никой, който ходи в тях, не знае мир.
9 Затова правосъдието е далеч от нас. И правдата не стига до нас; Чакаме светлина, а ето тъмнина, - Сияние, а ходим в мрак.
10 Пипаме стената като слепи, Пипаме като ония, които нямат очи; По пладне се препъваме като нощем; Всред яките сме като мъртви.
11 Всички ревем като мечки, и горчиво стенем като гълъби; Очакваме правосъдие, но няма, - Избавление, но е далеч от нас.
12 Защото се умножиха пред Тебе престъпленията ни, И греховете ни свидетелствуват против нас; Защото престъпленията ни са пред нас, А колкото за беззаконията ни, ние ги знаем.
13 Станахме престъпници и неверни към Господа, И отвърнахме се да не следваме нашия Бог; Говорихме насилствено и бунтовно; Заченахме и изговорихме из сърцето си лъжливи думи.
14 Затова правосъдието отстъпи назад И правдата стои далеч; Защото истината падна на площада, И правотата не може да влезе,
15 Да! истината я няма, И който се отклонява от злото става плячка; И Господ видя, и стана Му неугодно, че нямаше правосъдие,
16 Видя, че нямаше човек, И почуди се, че нямаше посредник; Затова Неговата мишца издействува за него спасение, И правдата Му го подкрепи.
17 Той се облече с правда като с броня, И тури на главата си спасение за шлем; Облече и одеждите на възмездието за дреха, И загърна се с ревността като с мантия.
18 Според <дължимите> им възмездия, така ще отплати, Ярост на противниците Си, възмездие на враговете Си; Ще даде възмездие на островите.
19 Така ще се убоят от името на Господа <живеещите> на запад, И от славата Му <живеещите> при изгрева на слънцето; Защото ще дойде като стремителен поток, Затласкан от Господното дихание;
20 А <като> Изкупител ще дойде в Сион И за ония от Якова, които се обръщат от престъпление, казва Господ.
21 А от Моя страна, ето Моят завет с тях, казва Господ: Духът Ми, който е на тебе, И словата Ми, които турих в устата ти, Не ще липсват от устата ти, Нито от устата на потомството ти, Нито от устата на тяхното потомство {Еврейски: Потомството на потомството им.}. От сега и до века, казва Господ.
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