But your (A)wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His [a]face from you so that He does (B)not hear.
For your (C)hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with wrongdoing;
Your lips have spoken (D)deceit,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.
(E)No one sues righteously and (F)no one pleads [b]honestly.
They (G)trust in confusion and speak lies;
They (H)conceive trouble and give birth to disaster.
They hatch vipers’ eggs and (I)weave the spider’s web;
The one who eats of their eggs dies,
And from what is crushed, a snake breaks out.
Their webs will not become clothing,
Nor will they (J)cover themselves with their works;
Their (K)works are works of wrongdoing,
And an (L)act of violence is in their [c]hands.
(M)Their feet run to evil,
And they hurry to shed innocent blood;
(N)Their thoughts are thoughts of wrongdoing,
Devastation and destruction are in their paths.
They do not know the (O)way of peace,
And there is (P)no justice in their tracks;
They have made their paths crooked,
(Q)Whoever walks on [d]them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

Therefore (R)justice is far from us,
And righteousness does not reach us;
We (S)hope for light, but there is darkness,
For brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We (T)grope for the wall like people who are blind,
We grope like those who have no eyes.
We (U)stumble at midday as in the twilight;
Among those who are healthy we are (V)like the dead.
11 All of us growl like bears,
And (W)moan sadly like doves;
We hope for (X)justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our (Y)wrongful acts have multiplied before You,
And our (Z)sins have testified against us;
For our wrongful acts are with us,
And [e]we know our wrongdoings:
13 [f]Offending and (AA)denying the Lord,
And turning away from our God,
Speaking (AB)oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and (AC)uttering lying words from the heart.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:2 As in ancient versions; MT faces
  2. Isaiah 59:4 Lit in truth
  3. Isaiah 59:6 Lit palms
  4. Isaiah 59:8 Lit it
  5. Isaiah 59:12 Lit our wrongdoings we know them
  6. Isaiah 59:13 Or Revolting against and

But your iniquities have separated(A)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(B)
For your hands are stained with blood,(C)
    your fingers with guilt.(D)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(E)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(F)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(G) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(H)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(I)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(J)
    and spin a spider’s web.(K)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(L)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(M) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(N)
They pursue evil schemes;(O)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(P)
The way of peace they do not know;(Q)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(R)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(S)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(T)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(U) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(V) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.(W)
11 We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.(X)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses(Y) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify(Z) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:(AA)
13 rebellion(AB) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(AC) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(AD)
    uttering lies(AE) our hearts have conceived.

Read full chapter

Her adversaries have become [a]her masters,
Her enemies are [b]secure;
For the Lord has [c](A)caused her grief
Because of the multitude of her wrongdoings;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives [d]led by the enemy.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:5 Lit head
  2. Lamentations 1:5 Or at ease
  3. Lamentations 1:5 Or tormented her
  4. Lamentations 1:5 Lit before

Her foes have become her masters;
    her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief(A)
    because of her many sins.(B)
Her children have gone into exile,(C)
    captive before the foe.(D)

Read full chapter

20 See, Lord, for I am in distress;
My [a](A)spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very (B)rebellious.
In the street the sword has made women childless;
In the house it is like death.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:20 Lit inward parts are in ferment

20 “See, Lord, how distressed(A) I am!
    I am in torment(B) within,
and in my heart I am disturbed,(C)
    for I have been most rebellious.(D)
Outside, the sword bereaves;
    inside, there is only death.(E)

Read full chapter