Isa 59-60 | ESV | STEP | Behold , the Lord’s hand is not shortened , that it cannot save , or his ear dull , that it cannot hear ;

Isaiah 59

Evil and Oppression

1 Behold, ^athe Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2 ^bbut your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.
3 ^cFor your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 ^dNo one enters suit justly;
no one goes to law honestly;
they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,
^ethey conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs;
they weave the spider’s web;
he who eats their eggs dies,
and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.
6 ^fTheir webs will not serve as clothing;
men will not cover themselves with what they make.
Their works are works of iniquity,
and deeds of violence are in their hands.
7 ^gTheir feet run to evil,
and they are swift to shed innocent blood;
their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
desolation and destruction are in their highways.
8 The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no justice in their paths;
they have made their roads crooked;
^hno one who treads on them knows peace.
9 Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not overtake us;
ⁱwe hope for light, and behold, darkness,
and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 ^jWe grope for the wall like the blind;
we grope like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
^kamong those in full vigor we are like dead men.
11 We all growl like bears;
^lwe moan and moan like doves;
^mwe hope for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you,
and our sins testify against us;
for our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:
13 transgressing, and denying the Lord,
and turning back from following our God,
ⁿspeaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.

Judgment and Redemption

14 ^oJustice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far away;
for truth has stumbled in the public squares,
and uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.
The Lord saw it, and it displeased him ^{▼▼Hebrew and it was evil in his eyes}
that there was no justice.
16 ^qHe saw that there was no man,
and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then his own arm brought him salvation,
and his righteousness upheld him.
17 ^rHe put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and wrapped himself in ^szeal as a cloak.
18 ^tAccording to their deeds, so will he repay,
wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies;
^uto the coastlands he will render repayment.
19 ^vSo they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west,
and his glory from the rising of the sun;
^wfor he will come like a rushing stream, ^{▼▼Hebrew a narrow river}
which the wind of the Lord drives.
20 ^y“And ^za Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.
21 “And as for me, ^aathis is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, ^aband my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Isaiah 60

The Future Glory of Israel

1 ^acArise, shine, for your light has come,
and ^adthe glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 ^aeAnd nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 ^afLift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
^agyour sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
5 Then you shall see and ^ahbe radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult, ^{▼▼Hebrew your heart shall tremble and grow wide}
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
^ajthe wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of ^akMidian and ^alEphah;
all those from ^amSheba shall come.
^anThey shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of ^aoKedar shall be gathered to you;
the rams of ^apNebaioth shall minister to you;
^aqthey shall come up with acceptance on my altar,
^arand I will beautify my beautiful house.
8 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and ^aslike doves to their windows?
9 For ^atthe coastlands shall hope for me,
^authe ships of Tarshish first,
^avto bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because ^awhe has made you beautiful.
10 ^axForeigners shall build up your walls,
and ^aytheir kings shall minister to you;
for in my wrath I struck you,
but in my favor I have had mercy on you.
11 ^azYour gates shall be open continually;
day and night they shall not be shut,
^bathat people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
with their kings led in procession.
12 ^bbFor the nation and kingdom
that will not serve you shall perish;
those nations shall be utterly laid waste.
13 ^bcThe glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
the cypress, the plane, and ^bdthe pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14 ^beThe sons of those who afflicted you
shall come bending low to you,
^bfand all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
^bgthey shall call you the City of the Lord,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 ^bhWhereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one passing through,
^biI will make you majestic forever,
a joy from age to age.
16 ^bjYou shall suck the milk of nations;
you shall nurse at the breast of kings;
and you shall know that ^bkI, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, ^blthe Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
and instead of iron I will bring silver;
instead of wood, bronze,
instead of stones, iron.
I will make your overseers peace
^bmand your taskmasters righteousness.
18 ^bnViolence shall no more be heard in your land,
devastation or destruction within your borders;
^boyou shall call your walls Salvation,
and your gates Praise.
19 ^bpThe sun shall be no more
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give you light; ^{▼▼Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Targum add by night}
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory. ^{▼▼Or your beauty}
20 Your sun shall no more go down,
nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and ^bsyour days of mourning shall be ended.
21 ^btYour people shall all be righteous;
^buthey shall possess the land forever,
^bvthe branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified. ^{▼▼Or that I might display my beauty}
22 ^bxThe least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
^byI am the Lord;
in its time I will hasten it.