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Isaiah 59-60
New English Translation

Injustice Brings Alienation from God

59 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak[a] to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you.[b]
2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;
your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.[c]
3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with sin;
your lips speak lies,
your tongue utters malicious words.
4 No one is concerned about justice;[d]
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false words[e] and tell lies;
they conceive of oppression[f]
and give birth to sin.
5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
a poisonous snake is hatched.[g]
6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are sinful;
they commit violent crimes.[h]
7 They are eager to do evil,[i]
quick to shed innocent blood.[j]
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy.[k]
8 They are unfamiliar with peace;
their deeds are unjust.[l]
They use deceitful methods,
and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.[m]

Israel Confesses its Sin

9 For this reason deliverance[n] is far from us[o]
and salvation does not reach us.
We wait for light,[p] but see only darkness;[q]
we wait for[r] a bright light,[s] but live[t] in deep darkness.[u]
10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
we grope like those who cannot see;[v]
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.
Though others are strong, we are like dead men.[w]
11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance,[x] but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds,[y]
and our sins testify against us;
indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;
we know our sins all too well.[z]
13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;
we turned back from following our God.
We stir up[aa] oppression and rebellion;
we tell lies we concocted in our minds.[ab]
14 Justice is driven back;
godliness[ac] stands far off.
Indeed,[ad] honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.
15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased,[ae]
for there is no justice.

The Lord Intervenes

16 He sees there is no advocate;[af]
he is shocked[ag] that no one intervenes.
So he takes matters into his own hands;[ah]
his desire for justice drives him on.[ai]
17 He wears his desire for justice[aj] like body armor,[ak]
and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head.[al]
He puts on the garments of vengeance[am]
and wears zeal like a robe.
18 He repays them for what they have done,
dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries
and punishing his enemies.[an]
He repays the coastlands.[ao]
19 In the west, people respect[ap] the Lord’s reputation;[aq]
in the east they recognize his splendor.[ar]
For he comes like a rushing[as] stream
driven on by wind sent from the Lord.[at]
20 “A protector[au] comes to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,”[av] says the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my promise to[aw] them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,”[ax] says the Lord.

Zion’s Future Splendor

60 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor[ay] of the Lord shines on you!
2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers[az] the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor[ba] appears over you.
3 Nations come to your light,
kings to your bright light.
4 Look all around you![bb]
They all gather and come to you—
your sons come from far away,
and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
5 Then you will look and smile,[bc]
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride.[bd]
For the riches of distant lands[be] will belong to you,
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
6 Camel caravans will cover your roads,[bf]
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba[bg] will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord.[bh]
7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.[bi]
They will go up on my altar acceptably,[bj]
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
8 Who are these who float along[bk] like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their shelters?[bl]
9 Indeed, the coastlands[bm] look eagerly for me;
the large ships[bn] are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God,[bo]
the Holy One of Israel,[bp] for he has bestowed honor on you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;
their kings will serve you.
Even though I struck you down in my anger,
I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.[bq]
11 Your gates will remain open at all times;
they will not be shut during the day or at night,
so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,
with their kings leading the way.[br]
12 Indeed,[bs] nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will definitely be destroyed.[bt]
13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace;[bu]
I will bestow honor on my throne room.[bv]
14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;
all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’[bw]
15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you[bx] a permanent source of pride
and joy to coming generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations;
you will nurse at the breasts of kings.[by]
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your Deliverer,
your Protector,[bz] the Powerful One of Jacob.[ca]
17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold;
instead of iron, I will bring you silver;
instead of wood, I will bring you[cb] bronze;
instead of stones, I will bring you[cc] iron.
I will make prosperity[cd] your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler.[ce]
18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of[cf] destruction and devastation within your borders.
You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light—
the splendor of your God will shine upon you.[cg]
20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear;[ch]
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time[ci] of sorrow will be over.
21 All your people will be godly;[cj]
they will possess the land permanently.
I will plant them like a shoot;
they will be the product of my labor,
through whom I reveal my splendor.[ck]
22 The least of you will multiply into[cl] a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!”[cm]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:1 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  2. Isaiah 59:1 tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”
  3. Isaiah 59:2 tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”
  4. Isaiah 59:4 tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”
  5. Isaiah 59:4 tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”
  6. Isaiah 59:4 tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”
  7. Isaiah 59:5 tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”
  8. Isaiah 59:6 tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”
  9. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”
  10. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”
  11. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”
  12. Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”
  13. Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “their paths they make crooked; everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”
  14. Isaiah 59:9 tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.
  15. Isaiah 59:9 sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.
  16. Isaiah 59:9 sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.
  17. Isaiah 59:9 tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”
  18. Isaiah 59:9 tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  19. Isaiah 59:9 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
  20. Isaiah 59:9 tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”
  21. Isaiah 59:9 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
  22. Isaiah 59:10 tn Heb “like there are no eyes.”
  23. Isaiah 59:10 tn Heb among the strong, like dead men.”
  24. Isaiah 59:11 tn See the note at v. 9.
  25. Isaiah 59:12 tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”
  26. Isaiah 59:12 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”
  27. Isaiah 59:13 tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  28. Isaiah 59:13 tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”
  29. Isaiah 59:14 tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”
  30. Isaiah 59:14 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
  31. Isaiah 59:15 tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”
  32. Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”
  33. Isaiah 59:16 tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”
  34. Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”
  35. Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”
  36. Isaiah 59:17 tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”
  37. Isaiah 59:17 tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”
  38. Isaiah 59:17 tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”
  39. Isaiah 59:17 tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”
  40. Isaiah 59:18 tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”
  41. Isaiah 59:18 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).
  42. Isaiah 59:19 tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read “see.”
  43. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”
  44. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”
  45. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”
  46. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).
  47. Isaiah 59:20 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
  48. Isaiah 59:20 tn Heb “and to those who turn from rebellion in Jacob.”
  49. Isaiah 59:21 tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”sn The Lord promises the repentant (note “to them”) that they and their offspring will possess his spirit and function as his spokesmen. In this regard they follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s special servant. See 42:1; 49:2; 51:16.
  50. Isaiah 59:21 tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”
  51. Isaiah 60:1 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).
  52. Isaiah 60:2 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  53. Isaiah 60:2 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”
  54. Isaiah 60:4 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”
  55. Isaiah 60:5 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  56. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
  57. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
  58. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
  59. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
  60. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
  61. Isaiah 60:7 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
  62. Isaiah 60:7 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (ʿal) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [yaʿalu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (leratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleting the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (ʿal) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111), and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
  63. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”
  64. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.
  65. Isaiah 60:9 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
  66. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
  67. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
  68. Isaiah 60:9 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  69. Isaiah 60:10 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
  70. Isaiah 60:11 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
  71. Isaiah 60:12 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
  72. Isaiah 60:12 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
  73. Isaiah 60:13 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
  74. Isaiah 60:13 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
  75. Isaiah 60:14 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  76. Isaiah 60:15 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
  77. Isaiah 60:16 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
  78. Isaiah 60:16 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
  79. Isaiah 60:16 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
  80. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
  81. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
  82. Isaiah 60:17 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
  83. Isaiah 60:17 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
  84. Isaiah 60:18 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  85. Isaiah 60:19 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
  86. Isaiah 60:20 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
  87. Isaiah 60:20 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  88. Isaiah 60:21 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
  89. Isaiah 60:21 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
  90. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
  91. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
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