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The Evil That People Do

59 Surely the Lord’s power is enough to save you.
    He can hear you when you ask him for help.
It is your evil that has separated
    you from your God.
Your sins cause him to turn away from you.
    And then he does not hear you.
With your hands you have killed others.
    Your fingers are covered with blood from killing people.
With your lips you have lied.
    With your tongue you say evil things.
People take each other to court unfairly.
    No one tells the truth in arguing his case.
They accuse each other falsely and tell lies.
    They cause trouble and create more evil.
They hatch evil like eggs from poisonous snakes.
    If you eat one of those eggs, you will die.
    And if you break one open, a poisonous snake comes out.
People tell lies as they would spin a spider’s web.
    The webs they make cannot be used for clothes.
    You can’t cover yourself with those webs.
The things they do are evil.
    They use their hands to hurt others.
They eagerly run to do evil.
    They are always ready to kill innocent people.
They think evil thoughts.
    Everywhere they go they cause ruin and destruction.
They don’t know how to live in peace.
    There is no fairness in their lives.
They are dishonest.
    Anyone who lives as they live will never have peace.

Israel’s Sin Brings Trouble

Fairness has gone far away.
    Goodness is nowhere to be found.
We wait for the light, but there is only darkness now.
    We hope for a bright light, but all we have is darkness.
10 We are like blind people feeling our way along a wall.
    We have to feel our way as if we had no eyes.
In the brightness of day we trip as if it were night.
    We are like dead men among the strong.
11 All of us growl like the bears.
    We call out sadly like the doves.
We look for justice, but there isn’t any.
    We want to be saved, but salvation is far away.

12 We have done many wrong things against our God.
    Our sins show we are wrong.
We know we have turned against God.
    We know the evil things we have done.
13 We have sinned and turned against the Lord.
    We have turned away from our God.
We have planned to hurt others and to disobey God.
    We have planned and spoken lies.
14 We have driven away justice.
    We have kept away from what is right.
Truth is not spoken in the streets.
    What is honest is not allowed to enter the city.
15 Truth cannot be found anywhere.
    And people who refuse to do evil are attacked.

The Lord looked and could not find any justice.
    And he was displeased.
16 He could not find anyone to help the people.
    He was surprised that there was no one to help.
So the Lord used his own power to save the people.
    His own goodness gave him strength.
17 The Lord covered himself with goodness like armor.
    He put on the helmet of salvation.
He put on the clothes of punishment.
    And he put on the coat of his strong love.
18 The Lord will pay back his enemies for what they have done.
    He will show his anger to those who were against him.
He will punish the people in faraway places.
    He will give them the punishment they should have.
19 Then people from the west will fear the Lord.
    People in the east will fear his glory.
The Lord will come quickly like a fast-flowing river,
    driven by the breath of the Lord.

20 “Then a close relative who will save you will come to Jerusalem.
    He will come to the people of Jacob who sinned but turned back to God,”
    says the Lord.

21 The Lord says, “I will make an agreement with these people. I promise that my Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you. They will be with your children and your grandchildren. They will be with you now and forever.”

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。」