59 1 The wicked perish through their own iniquities. 12 The confession of sins. 16 God alone will preserve his Church though all men fail.

Behold, (A)the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save: neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.

But (B)your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with [a]blood, and your fingers with iniquity: your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath murmured iniquity.

No man calleth for justice: no man [b]contendeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak vain things: they conceive mischief, and [c]bring forth iniquity.

They hatch cockatrice [d]eggs, and weave the spider’s [e]web: he that eateth of their eggs, died, and that which is trode upon, breaketh out into a serpent.

Their webs shall be no garment, neither shall they cover themselves with their labors: for their works are works of iniquities, and the work of cruelty is in their hands.

Their feet turn to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are wicked thoughts: desolation and destruction is in their paths.

The way of peace they know not, and there is none equity in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein, shall not know peace.

Therefore is [f]judgment far from us, neither doth [g]justice come near unto us: we wait for light, but lo, it is darkness: for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

10 We grope for the wall like the [h]blind, and we grope as one without eyes: we stumble at the noon day as in the twilight: we are in solitary places, as dead men.

11 We roar all like [i]bears, and mourn like doves: we look for equity, but there is none: for health, but it is far from us.

12 For our trespasses are many before thee, and our [j]sins testify against us: for our trespasses are with us, and we know our iniquities

13 In trespassing and lying against the Lord, and we have departed away from our God, and have spoken of cruelty and rebellion, conceiving and uttering out of the heart [k]false matters.

14 Therefore [l]judgment is turned backward, and justice standeth far off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

15 Yea, truth faileth, and he that refraineth from evil, maketh himself [m]a prey: and when the Lord saw it, it displeased him, that there was no judgment.

16 And when he saw that there was no man, he wondered that none would offer himself. [n]Therefore his arm did [o]save it, and his righteousness itself did sustain it.

17 For he put on righteousness, as an habergeon, and an [p]helmet of salvation upon his head, and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

18 As to make recompense, as to requite the fury of the adversaries with a recompense to his enemies: he will fully repair the [q]islands.

19 So shall they fear the Name of the Lord from the West, and his glory from the rising of the Sun; for the enemy shall [r]come like a flood; but the Spirit of the Lord shall chase him away.

20 And the Redeemer shall come unto Zion, and unto [s]them that turn from iniquity in Jacob, saith the Lord.

21 And I will make this my Covenant with them, saith the Lord, My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words, which I have put in thy mouth, [t]shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of the seed of thy seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth even forever.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 59:3 Read Isa. 1:15.
  2. Isaiah 59:4 All men wink at the injuries and oppressions, and none go about to remedy them.
  3. Isaiah 59:4 According to their wicked devices, they hurt their neighbors.
  4. Isaiah 59:5 Whatsoever cometh from them is poison, and bringeth death.
  5. Isaiah 59:5 They are profitable to no purpose.
  6. Isaiah 59:9 That is, God’s vengeance to punish our enemies.
  7. Isaiah 59:9 God’s protection to defend us.
  8. Isaiah 59:10 We are altogether destitute of counsel, and can find no end of our miseries.
  9. Isaiah 59:11 We express our sorrows by outward signs, some more, some less.
  10. Isaiah 59:12 This confession is general to the Church to obtain remission of sins, and the Prophets did not exempt themselves from the same.
  11. Isaiah 59:13 To wit, against our neighbors.
  12. Isaiah 59:14 There is neither justice nor uprightness among men.
  13. Isaiah 59:15 The wicked will destroy him.
  14. Isaiah 59:16 Meaning, to do justice, and to remedy the things that were so far out of order.
  15. Isaiah 59:16 That is, his Church or his arm did help itself, and did not seek aid of any other.
  16. Isaiah 59:17 Signifying, that God hath all means at hand to deliver his Church and to punish their enemies.
  17. Isaiah 59:18 To wit, your enemies, which dwell in divers places, and beyond the sea.
  18. Isaiah 59:19 He showeth that there shall be great affliction in the Church, but God will ever deliver his.
  19. Isaiah 59:20 Whereby he declareth that the true deliverance from sin and Satan belongeth to none, but to the children of God, whom he justifieth.
  20. Isaiah 59:21 Because the doctrine is made profitable by the virtue of the Spirit, he joineth the one with the other, and promiseth to give them both to his Church forever.

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