CSB

Isaiah 59

Sin and Redemption

1Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,

and his ear is not too deaf to hear.

2But your iniquities are separating you

from your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you

so that he does not listen.

3For your hands are defiled with blood

and your fingers, with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies,

and your tongues mutter injustice.

4No one makes claims justly;

no one pleads honestly.

They trust in empty and worthless words;

they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.

5They hatch viper’s eggs

and weave spider’s webs.

Whoever eats their eggs will die;

crack one open, and a viper is hatched.

6Their webs cannot become clothing,

and they cannot cover themselves with their works.

Their works are sinful works,

and violent acts are in their hands.

7Their feet run after evil,

and they rush to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;

ruin and wretchedness are in their paths.

8They have not known the path of peace,

and there is no justice in their ways.

They have made their roads crooked;

no one who walks on them will know peace.

9Therefore justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not reach us.

We hope for light, but there is darkness;

for brightness, but we live in the night.

10We grope along a wall like the blind;

we grope like those without eyes.

We stumble at noon as though it were twilight;

we are like the dead among those who are healthy.

11We all growl like bears

and moan like doves.

We hope for justice, but there is none;

for salvation, but it is far from us.

12For our transgressions have multiplied before you,

and our sins testify against us.

For our transgressions are with us,

and we know our iniquities:

13transgression and deception against the Lord,

turning away from following our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.

14Justice is turned back,

and righteousness stands far off.

For truth has stumbled in the public square,

and honesty cannot enter.

15Truth is missing,

and whoever turns from evil is plundered.

The Lord saw that there was no justice,

and he was offended.

16He saw that there was no man —

he was amazed that there was no one interceding;

so his own arm brought salvation,

and his own righteousness supported him.

17He put on righteousness as body armor,

and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

18So he will repay according to their deeds:

fury to his enemies,

retribution to his foes,

and he will repay the coasts and islands.

19They will fear the name of the Lord in the west

and his glory in the east;

for he will come like a rushing stream

driven by the wind of the Lord.

20“The Redeemer will come to Zion,

and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.”

This is the Lord’s declaration.

21“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children’s children, from now on and forever,” says the Lord.