Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; Your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
Their feet rush into sin;
They are swift to shed innocent blood.
They pursue evil schemes;
Acts of violence mark their ways.
The way of peace they do not know;
There is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
No one who walks along them will know peace.
Justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes.
For our offenses are many in your sight,
And our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
And we acknowledge our iniquities:
Rebellion and treachery against the Lord,
Turning our backs on our God,
Inciting revolt and oppression,
Uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
So justice is driven back,
And righteousness stands at a distance;
Truth has stumbled in the streets,
Honesty cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found,
And whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
Their feet rush into sin;
They are swift to shed innocent blood.
They pursue evil schemes;
Acts of violence mark their ways.
The way of peace they do not know;
There is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
No one who walks along them will know peace.
The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head;
He put on the garments of vengeance
And wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
According to what they have done, so will he repay
Wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes.
The Redeemer will come to Zion,
To those in Jacob who repent of their sins.
Isaiah 59 see less