Isaiæ 59
1 Ecce non est abbreviata manus Domini, ut salvare nequeat, neque aggravata est auris ejus, ut non exaudiat.
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
2 Sed iniquitates vestræ diviserunt inter vos et Deum vestrum; et peccata vestra absconderunt faciem ejus a vobis, ne exaudiret.
But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.
3 Manus enim vestræ pollutæ sunt sanguine, et digiti vestri iniquitate; labia vestra locuta sunt mendacium, et lingua vestra iniquitatem fatur.
For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice.
4 Non est qui invocet justitiam, neque est qui judicet vere: sed confidunt in nihilo, et loquuntur vanitates; conceperunt laborem, et pepererunt iniquitatem.
No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 Ova aspidum ruperunt, et telas araneæ texuerunt. Qui comederit de ovis eorum, morietur; et quod confotum est, erumpet in regulum.
They hatch the eggs of vipers and weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched.
6 Telæ eorum non erunt in vestimentum, neque operientur operibus suis; opera eorum opera inutilia, et opus iniquitatis in manibus eorum.
Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7 Pedes eorum ad malum currunt, et festinant ut effundant sanguinem innocentem; cogitationes eorum cogitationes inutiles: vastitas et contritio in viis eorum.
Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
8 Viam pacis nescierunt, et non est judicium in gressibus eorum; semitæ eorum incurvatæ sunt eis: omnis qui calcat in eis, ignorat pacem.
The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have turned them into crooked paths; no one who treads on them will know peace.
9 Propter hoc elongatum est judicium a nobis, et non apprehendet nos justitia. Exspectavimus lucem, et ecce tenebræ; splendorem, et in tenebris ambulavimus.
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 Palpavimus sicut cæci parietem, et quasi absque oculis attrectavimus: impegimus meridie quasi in tenebris; in caliginosis quasi mortui.
Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.
11 Rugiemus quasi ursi omnes, et quasi columbæ meditantes gememus: exspectavimus judicium, et non est; salutem, et elongata est a nobis.
We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 Multiplicatæ sunt enim iniquitates nostræ coram te, et peccata nostra responderunt nobis, quia scelera nostra nobiscum et iniquitates nostras cognovimus.
For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions are indeed with us, and we know our iniquities:
13 Peccare et mentiri contra Dominum, et aversi sumus ne iremus post tergum Dei nostri, ut loqueremur calumniam et transgressionem; concepimus et locuti sumus de corde verba mendacii.
rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
14 Et conversum est retrorsum judicium, et justitia longe stetit, quia corruit in platea veritas, et æquitas non potuit ingredi.
So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.
15 Et facta est veritas in oblivionem, et qui recessit a malo, prædæ patuit. Et vidit Dominus, et malum apparuit in oculis ejus, quia non est judicium.
Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
16 Et vidit quia non est vir, et aporiatus est, quia non est qui occurrat; et salvavit sibi brachium suum, et justitia ejus ipsa confirmavit eum.
He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
17 Indutus est justitia ut lorica, et galea salutis in capite ejus; indutus est vestimentis ultionis, et opertus est quasi pallio zeli:
He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.
18 sicut ad vindictam quasi ad retributionem indignationis hostibus suis, et vicissitudinem inimicis suis; insulis vicem reddet.
So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and recompense to the islands.
19 Et timebunt qui ab occidente nomen Domini, et qui ab ortu solis gloriam ejus, cum venerit quasi fluvius violentus quem spiritus Domini cogit;
So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.
20 et venerit Sion redemptor, et eis qui redeunt ab iniquitate in Jacob, dicit Dominus.
“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,”
21 Hoc fœdus meum cum eis, dicit Dominus: spiritus meus qui est in te, et verba mea quæ posui in ore tuo, non recedent de ore tuo, et de ore seminis tui, et de ore seminis seminis tui, dicit Dominus, amodo et usque in sempiternum.
“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren, from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD.
