Separation from God

59 Behold, (A)the Lords hand is not so short
That it cannot save;
(B)Nor is His ear so dull
That it cannot hear.
But your (C)wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His [a]face from you so that He does (D)not hear.
For your (E)hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with wrongdoing;
Your lips have spoken (F)deceit,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.
(G)No one sues righteously and (H)no one pleads [b]honestly.
They (I)trust in confusion and speak lies;
They (J)conceive trouble and give birth to disaster.
They hatch vipers’ eggs and (K)weave the spider’s web;
The one who eats of their eggs dies,
And from what is crushed, a snake breaks out.
Their webs will not become clothing,
Nor will they (L)cover themselves with their works;
Their (M)works are works of wrongdoing,
And an (N)act of violence is in their [c]hands.
(O)Their feet run to evil,
And they hurry to shed innocent blood;
(P)Their thoughts are thoughts of wrongdoing,
Devastation and destruction are in their paths.
They do not know the (Q)way of peace,
And there is (R)no justice in their tracks;
They have made their paths crooked,
(S)Whoever walks on [d]them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

Therefore (T)justice is far from us,
And righteousness does not reach us;
We (U)hope for light, but there is darkness,
For brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We (V)grope for the wall like people who are blind,
We grope like those who have no eyes.
We (W)stumble at midday as in the twilight;
Among those who are healthy we are (X)like the dead.
11 All of us growl like bears,
And (Y)moan sadly like doves;
We hope for (Z)justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our (AA)wrongful acts have multiplied before You,
And our (AB)sins have testified against us;
For our wrongful acts are with us,
And [e]we know our wrongdoings:
13 [f]Offending and (AC)denying the Lord,
And turning away from our God,
Speaking (AD)oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and (AE)uttering lying words from the heart.
14 (AF)Justice is turned back,
And (AG)righteousness stands far away;
For truth has stumbled in the street,
And uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
And one who turns aside from evil (AH)makes himself a prey.
Now the Lord saw,
And it was [g]displeasing in His sight (AI)that there was no justice.
16 And He saw that there was (AJ)no one,
And was amazed that there was not one to intercede;
Then His (AK)own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His righteousness upheld Him.
17 He put on (AL)righteousness like a breastplate,
And a (AM)helmet of salvation on His head;
And He put on (AN)garments of vengeance for clothing
And wrapped Himself with (AO)zeal as a cloak.
18 (AP)According to their deeds, [h]so will He repay:
Wrath to His adversaries, [i]retribution to His enemies;
To the coastlands He will [j]deal [k]retribution.
19 So they will fear the name of the Lord from the (AQ)west
And His glory from the (AR)rising of the sun,
For He will (AS)come like a [l]rushing stream
Which the wind of the Lord drives.
20 “A (AT)Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those in Jacob who (AU)turn from wrongdoing,” declares the Lord.

21 “As for Me, this is My (AV)covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My (AW)Spirit who is upon you, and My (AX)words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your [m]offspring, nor from the mouth of your [n]offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:2 As in ancient versions; MT faces
  2. Isaiah 59:4 Lit in truth
  3. Isaiah 59:6 Lit palms
  4. Isaiah 59:8 Lit it
  5. Isaiah 59:12 Lit our wrongdoings we know them
  6. Isaiah 59:13 Or Revolting against and
  7. Isaiah 59:15 Or evil
  8. Isaiah 59:18 Lit accordingly
  9. Isaiah 59:18 Lit requital
  10. Isaiah 59:18 Lit repay
  11. Isaiah 59:18 Lit requital
  12. Isaiah 59:19 Lit narrow
  13. Isaiah 59:21 Lit seed
  14. Isaiah 59:21 Lit seed

59 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

因罪与主隔绝

59 看啊,耶和华的臂膀并非没有力量拯救,

祂的耳朵并非聋得听不见。
你们的罪过使你们与上帝隔绝,
你们的罪恶使祂转脸不看你们,
也不听你们的祈求。
你们的手染满了血污,
手指沾满了罪恶。
你们的嘴唇吐出谎言,
舌头嘀咕恶事。
无人按公义诉讼,
无人凭诚实申辩。
你们依靠诡辩,口出谎言,
心怀鬼胎,生出罪恶。
你们孵毒蛇蛋,
人吃了这蛋必死,
蛋破后爬出毒蛇。
你们编蜘蛛网,
这网不能做衣服遮盖你们。
你们行为邪恶,
做事残暴。
你们奔向邪恶,
急于滥杀无辜;
你们心怀恶念,
所到之处大肆毁灭。
你们不知道平安之路,
你们的行径毫无公正;
你们走歪门邪道,
跟从你们的必得不到平安。
因此,正义远离我们,
公义临不到我们。
我们渴望光明,却得到黑暗;
我们渴望曙光,却仍然走在幽暗中。
10 我们像盲人一样沿墙摸索,
像无眼睛的人一样探路。
我们在中午也跌跌撞撞,
如同走在晚上。
我们在强壮人当中如同死人。
11 我们像熊一样咆哮,
如鸽子一般哀鸣。
我们渴望正义,却得不到;
渴望得到拯救,却遥不可及。
12 因为我们在上帝面前过犯累累,
我们的罪恶向我们发出控诉。
我们被过犯缠身,自知有罪。
13 我们悖逆,否认耶和华,
离弃我们的上帝,
说欺压、叛逆的话,
吐露心中编织的谎言。
14 正义被赶逐,
公义不能靠近,
真理倒在街上,
正直被拒之门外。
15 真理无处可寻,
远离恶事的人反成了猎物。
耶和华因正义荡然无存而不悦。
16 祂因无人、
无一个人主持公道而惊讶,
于是亲自伸出臂膀,
以自己的公义施行拯救。
17 祂以公义作铠甲,
以救恩作头盔,
以复仇作衣服,
以热忱作外袍。
18 祂必按各人的行为报应各人,
向祂的敌人发烈怒,
惩罚祂的仇敌,
向众海岛施行报应。
19 这样,日落之处的人必敬畏耶和华的名,
日出之地的人必对祂的荣耀肃然起敬。
祂必奔来,如被耶和华之气推动的急流。

20 耶和华说:“必有一位救赎主来到锡安,
到雅各那些离弃罪恶的子孙那里。”

21 耶和华说:“我亲自与他们立约,我赐给他们的灵和我放在他们口中的话,必不离开他们和他们的子子孙孙,从现在直到永远。这是耶和华说的。”

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