Isaiah 59

1 Behold, Jehovah's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor 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 so 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 mutters wickedness.

4 No man sues in righteousness, and no man pleads in truth. They trust in vanity, and speak lies. They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

5 They hatch adders' eggs, and weave the spider's web. He who eats of their eggs dies, and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.

6 Their webs shall not become garments, nor 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. Desolation and destruction are in their paths.

8 They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their goings. They have made them crooked paths. Whoever goes in it does not know peace.

9 Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us. We look for light, but behold, darkness, for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.

10 We grope for the wall like the blind. Yea, we grope as those who have no eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the twilight. We are as dead men in desolate places.

11 We all roar like bears, and moan greatly like doves. We look for justice, 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 transgressing and denying Jehovah, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

14 And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands afar off. For truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.

15 Yea, truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And Jehovah saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him. And his righteousness, it upheld him.

17 And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head. And he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.

18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies. He will repay recompense to the islands.

19 So they shall fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. For he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Jehovah drives.

20 And he who redeems will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, says Jehovah.

21 And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says Jehovah: 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, says Jehovah, from henceforth and forever.