Isaiah 59

¹ No, the hand of Yahweh is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

² But your iniquities have made a gulf between you and your God. Your sins have made him veil his face so as not to hear you,

³ since your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with crime, your lips utter lies your tongues murmur treachery.

⁴ No one makes just accusations or pleads sincerely. All rely on nothingness, utter falsehood, conceive harm and give birth to misery.

⁵ They are hatching adders’ eggs and weaving a spider’s web; eat one of their eggs and you die, crush one and a viper emerges.

⁶ Their webs are no good for clothing, their plots no use for covering. Their plans are sinful plots, violence is their only method.

⁷ Their feet run to do evil, are quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts, wherever they go there is havoc and ruin.

⁸ They know nothing of the way of peace, there is no equity in their paths. Twisty trails they clear for themselves and no one who follows them knows any peace.

⁹ So justice is removed far away from us, and integrity keeps its distance. We looked for light and all its darkness, for brightness and we walk in the dark.

¹⁰ Like the blind we feel our way along walls and hesitate like men without eyes. We stumble as though noon were twilight and dwell in the dark like the dead.

¹¹ We growl, all of us, like bears, and moan like doves, waiting for the justice that never comes, for salvation that is removed far away from us.

¹² For our faults in your sight have been many and our sins are a witness against us. And indeed our faults are present to our minds, and we know our iniquities:

¹³ rebellion and denial of Yahweh, turning our back on our God, talking treachery and revolt, murmuring lies in our heart.

¹⁴ Justice is withheld and integrity stands aloof; in the public square sincerity is brought to its knees and uprightness forbidden to enter.

¹⁵ Sincerity is missing and he who avoids evil is robbed. Yahweh has seen this, and is indignant that there is no justice to be seen.

¹⁶ He saw there was no one and wondered there was no one to intervene. So he made his own arm his mainstay, his own integrity his support.

¹⁷ He put integrity on like a breastplate, and on his head the helmet of salvation. He put vengeance on like a tunic and wrapped himself in ardour like a cloak.

¹⁸ To each he will pay his due, wrath to his enemies, reprisals on his foes.

¹⁹ In the west men will see the name of Yahweh and in the east his glory; for he shall come like a pent-up stream impelled by the breath of Yahweh.

²⁰ But for Zion he will come as Redeemer, for those of Jacob who turn from their faults. It is Yahweh who speaks.

²¹ For my part, this is my covenant with them, says Yahweh. My spirit with which I endowed you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not disappear from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your children, nor from the mouths of your children’s children for ever and ever, says Yahweh.