Isaiah 59
New English Translation
Injustice Brings Alienation from God
59 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak[a] to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you.[b]
2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;
your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.[c]
3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with sin;
your lips speak lies,
your tongue utters malicious words.
4 No one is concerned about justice;[d]
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false words[e] and tell lies;
they conceive of oppression[f]
and give birth to sin.
5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
a poisonous snake is hatched.[g]
6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are sinful;
they commit violent crimes.[h]
7 They are eager to do evil,[i]
quick to shed innocent blood.[j]
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy.[k]
8 They are unfamiliar with peace;
their deeds are unjust.[l]
They use deceitful methods,
and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.[m]
Israel Confesses its Sin
9 For this reason deliverance[n] is far from us[o]
and salvation does not reach us.
We wait for light,[p] but see only darkness;[q]
we wait for[r] a bright light,[s] but live[t] in deep darkness.[u]
10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
we grope like those who cannot see;[v]
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.
Though others are strong, we are like dead men.[w]
11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance,[x] but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds,[y]
and our sins testify against us;
indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;
we know our sins all too well.[z]
13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;
we turned back from following our God.
We stir up[aa] oppression and rebellion;
we tell lies we concocted in our minds.[ab]
14 Justice is driven back;
godliness[ac] stands far off.
Indeed,[ad] honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.
15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased,[ae]
for there is no justice.
The Lord Intervenes
16 He sees there is no advocate;[af]
he is shocked[ag] that no one intervenes.
So he takes matters into his own hands;[ah]
his desire for justice drives him on.[ai]
17 He wears his desire for justice[aj] like body armor,[ak]
and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head.[al]
He puts on the garments of vengeance[am]
and wears zeal like a robe.
18 He repays them for what they have done,
dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries
and punishing his enemies.[an]
He repays the coastlands.[ao]
19 In the west, people respect[ap] the Lord’s reputation;[aq]
in the east they recognize his splendor.[ar]
For he comes like a rushing[as] stream
driven on by wind sent from the Lord.[at]
20 “A protector[au] comes to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,”[av] says the Lord.
21 “As for me, this is my promise to[aw] them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,”[ax] says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 59:1 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 59:1 tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”
- Isaiah 59:2 tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”
- Isaiah 59:4 tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”
- Isaiah 59:4 tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”
- Isaiah 59:4 tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”
- Isaiah 59:5 tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”
- Isaiah 59:6 tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”
- Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”
- Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”
- Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”
- Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”
- Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “their paths they make crooked; everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”
- Isaiah 59:9 tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.
- Isaiah 59:9 sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.
- Isaiah 59:9 sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.
- Isaiah 59:9 tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”
- Isaiah 59:9 tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
- Isaiah 59:9 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
- Isaiah 59:9 tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”
- Isaiah 59:9 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
- Isaiah 59:10 tn Heb “like there are no eyes.”
- Isaiah 59:10 tn Heb among the strong, like dead men.”
- Isaiah 59:11 tn See the note at v. 9.
- Isaiah 59:12 tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”
- Isaiah 59:12 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”
- Isaiah 59:13 tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Isaiah 59:13 tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”
- Isaiah 59:14 tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”
- Isaiah 59:14 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 59:15 tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”
- Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”
- Isaiah 59:16 tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”
- Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”
- Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”
- Isaiah 59:17 tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”
- Isaiah 59:17 tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”
- Isaiah 59:17 tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”
- Isaiah 59:17 tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”
- Isaiah 59:18 tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”
- Isaiah 59:18 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).
- Isaiah 59:19 tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read “see.”
- Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”
- Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”
- Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”
- Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).
- Isaiah 59:20 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
- Isaiah 59:20 tn Heb “and to those who turn from rebellion in Jacob.”
- Isaiah 59:21 tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”sn The Lord promises the repentant (note “to them”) that they and their offspring will possess his spirit and function as his spokesmen. In this regard they follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s special servant. See 42:1; 49:2; 51:16.
- Isaiah 59:21 tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”
Isaías 59
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
Descripción del pecado del pueblo
59 No es tan corta la mano del Señor
que no pueda salvar;
tampoco su oído es tan duro
que no pueda oír;
2 son los pecados de ustedes los que crean un abismo
entre ustedes y su Dios;
son sus delitos los que hacen
que oculte su rostro y no los oiga,
por no verlos ni oírlos.
3 Están sus manos repletas de crímenes,
sus dedos tintos en sangre,
sus labios hablan en falso,
su lengua musita maldades.
4 Nadie recurre a la justicia,
nadie pleitea con lealtad;
se basan en naderías y dicen falsedades,
se preñan de injusticia y paren maldad.
5 Incuban huevos de serpiente,
tejen telas de araña;
quien come de sus huevos, muere;
si los abren, sale una víbora.
6 Lo que tejen no sirve de vestido,
con lo que fabrican, no te puedes cubrir;
sus acciones son todas criminales,
sus manos perpetran violencia.
7 Sus pies caminan deprisa hacia el mal,
se apresuran a derramar sangre inocente;
sus proyectos son proyectos inicuos,
en sus sendas abundan azote y destrucción.
8 No conocen el camino de la paz,
carecen de derecho sus senderos;
caminan por sendas tortuosas,
quien las pisa desconoce la paz.
El pueblo reconoce su pecado
9 Por eso tenemos lejos el derecho,
no ha llegado a nosotros la justicia;
esperábamos luz y estamos a oscuras,
claridad, y andamos en tinieblas.
10 Palpamos como ciegos la pared,
como invidentes andamos a tientas;
trompicamos a mediodía
como si fuera de noche;
rebosamos salud y parecemos muertos.
11 Todos gruñimos como osos,
zureamos igual que palomas.
Esperábamos derecho, ¡y nada!,
salvación, y la tenemos lejos.
12 Nuestros delitos contra ti son muchos,
nuestros pecados testifican contra nosotros;
nuestros crímenes siempre nos acompañan,
y conocemos bien nuestras culpas:
13 rebelarnos y renegar del Señor,
dejar de seguir a nuestro Dios;
hablar de opresiones y revueltas,
urdir palabras engañosas.
14 Y queda marginado el derecho,
la justicia permanece alejada,
pues tropieza en las calles la lealtad,
la honradez no sabe abrirse paso.
15 La lealtad brilla por su ausencia,
quien se aparta del mal es despojado.
Intervención liberadora del Señor
El Señor ha visto disgustado
que ya no existe el derecho;
16 ha visto asombrado
que nadie pone remedio.
Así que ha decidido poner en juego su poder,
apoyarse en su propia justicia:
17 como coraza se ha vestido la justicia,
como casco se ha puesto la salvación;
se ha vestido con ropas de venganza,
se ha ceñido el manto de la cólera.
18 Pagará a cada cual conforme a sus obras,
furia a sus adversarios, afrenta a sus enemigos;
las islas recibirán el pago de sus acciones.
19 Y temerán en occidente el nombre del Señor,
en oriente respetarán su gloria,
pues vendrá como torrente impetuoso,
impulsado por el aliento del Señor.
20 Pero vendrá como redentor a Sión,
a los arrepentidos de la casa de Jacob
—oráculo del Señor—.
21 Por mi parte, esta es mi alianza con ellos, dice el Señor: el espíritu que derramé sobre ti y las palabras que puse en tu boca, no desaparecerán de tu boca, ni de la boca de tus descendientes, ni de la boca de los descendientes de tus descendientes. Lo dice el Señor desde ahora y para siempre.
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.
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