Isaiah 64:6
New International Version
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

New Living Translation
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

English Standard Version
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Berean Standard Bible
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

King James Bible
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

New King James Version
But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

New American Standard Bible
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.

NASB 1995
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

NASB 1977
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Legacy Standard Bible
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.

Amplified Bible
For we all have become like one who is [ceremonially] unclean [like a leper], And all our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags; We all wither and decay like a leaf, And our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing], like the wind, takes us away [carrying us far from God’s favor, toward destruction].

Christian Standard Bible
All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

American Standard Version
For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Contemporary English Version
We are unfit to worship you; each of our good deeds is merely a filthy rag. We dry up like leaves; our sins are storm winds sweeping us away.

English Revised Version
For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
We've all become unclean, and all our righteous acts are like permanently stained rags. All of us shrivel like leaves, and our sins carry us away like the wind.

Good News Translation
All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are filthy through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind.

International Standard Version
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy rag; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind, our iniquities sweep us away.

Majority Standard Bible
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

NET Bible
We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind.

New Heart English Bible
For we have all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is as a polluted garment: and we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Webster's Bible Translation
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

World English Bible
For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And we are as unclean—all of us, "" And all our righteous acts [are] as garments of menstruation; And we fade as a leaf—all of us. And our iniquities take us away as wind.

Young's Literal Translation
And we are as unclean -- all of us, And as a garment passing away, all our righteous acts; And we fade as a leaf -- all of us. And our iniquities as wind do take us away.

Smith's Literal Translation
And we were all as the unclean, and all our justice as the garment of monthly courses; and we shall all fail away as the leaf; and our iniquities as the wind will take us away.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And we are all become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman: and we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And we have all become like the unclean. And all our justices are like a rag of menstruation. And we have all fallen away, like a leaf. And our iniquities have carried us away, like the wind.

New American Bible
We have all become like something unclean, all our just deeds are like polluted rags; We have all withered like leaves, and our crimes carry us away like the wind.

New Revised Standard Version
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For we have all become like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fall off like leaves; and our iniquities, like the whirlwind, have taken us away.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For we all are as a defiled thing and all our righteousness is like the patch of cloth of a menstruous woman. We all fall like leaves, and our sins have carried us off like a hurricane
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And we are all become as one that is unclean, And all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment; And we all do fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and we are all become as unclean, and all our righteousness as a filthy rag: and we have fallen as leaves because of our iniquities; thus the wind shall carry us away.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prayer for God's Power
5You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? 6Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. 7No one calls on Your name or strives to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.…

Cross References
Romans 3:10-12
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. / All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Philippians 3:8-9
More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ / and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Titus 3:5
He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Job 14:4
Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!

Psalm 14:1-3
For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good. / The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. / All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Romans 7:18
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, / not by works, so that no one can boast.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Galatians 2:16
know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Job 15:14-16
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? / If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes, / how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?

1 John 1:8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Psalm 51:5
Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Romans 8:8
Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.

Matthew 15:19-20
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. / These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”


Treasury of Scripture

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

are all

Isaiah 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Job 14:4
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

all our

Isaiah 57:12
I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.

Zechariah 3:3
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

Philippians 3:9
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

we all

Isaiah 40:6-8
The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: …

Psalm 90:5,6
Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up…

James 1:10,11
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away…

our iniquities

Isaiah 57:13
When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;

Psalm 1:4
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Jeremiah 4:11,12
At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse, …

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Isaiah 64
1. The church prays for the illustration of God's power
4. Celebrating God's mercy, it makes confession of their natural corruptions
9. It complains of their afflictions














All of us have become like one who is unclean
This phrase draws from the Hebrew concept of ritual impurity, which in the Old Testament often referred to a state that made individuals unfit for worship or participation in the community's religious life. The term "unclean" (Hebrew: טָמֵא, tamei) is deeply rooted in the Levitical laws, where it denotes a separation from God due to sin or impurity. Historically, this would resonate with the Israelites' understanding of purity laws, emphasizing the pervasive nature of sin that affects all humanity, making everyone spiritually unclean and in need of redemption.

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags
The Hebrew word for "filthy" (עִדִּים, iddim) can be translated as "polluted" or "stained," and "rags" (בֶּגֶד, beged) refers to garments. This metaphor starkly illustrates that even the best human efforts at righteousness are tainted by sin. In the historical context of Isaiah, this would be a humbling reminder to the Israelites that their own attempts at righteousness, apart from God's grace, are insufficient. The imagery of "filthy rags" underscores the need for divine intervention and the futility of self-righteousness.

we all shrivel up like a leaf
The imagery of a leaf shriveling conveys a sense of decay and mortality. In the Hebrew context, a leaf represents life and vitality, but when it withers, it signifies the transient nature of human life and efforts. This metaphor would remind the Israelites of their dependence on God for sustenance and life, as a leaf depends on the tree. It serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of sin, leading to spiritual and physical decay.

and like the wind, our sins sweep us away
The Hebrew word for "wind" (רוּחַ, ruach) can also mean "spirit" or "breath," indicating a force that is powerful yet intangible. The phrase suggests that sin has a pervasive and uncontrollable influence, much like the wind that can carry away leaves. Historically, this would resonate with the Israelites' understanding of the destructive power of sin, which can lead to exile and separation from God. The imagery of being swept away by sin highlights the need for divine rescue and the powerlessness of humanity to save itself without God's intervention.

(6) We are all as an unclean thing . . .--Better, as he who is unclean, scil., like the leper of Leviticus 13:45.

Filthy rags point to that which to the Israelite was the other extremest form of ceremonial uncleanness, as in Ezekiel 36:17.

Have taken us away--scil., afar off from the light and favour of Jehovah.

Verse 6. - But we are all as an unclean thing; rather, we are all become as one who is unclean (comp. Isaiah 35:8; Isaiah 52:1). A moral leprosy is upon us. We are like the leprous man, who has to rend his clothes, and to go about crying "Tame! tame!" "Unclean: unclean!" that those who hear may get out of his way. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; or, as a menstruous garment (see Lamentations 1:17). In the best deeds of the best men there is some taint of evil. As Hooker says, "Our very repentances require to be repented of." We all do fade as a leaf (comp. Isaiah 1:30, "Ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth;" see also Isaiah 34:4). Our iniquities... have taken as away; or, carried us away; i.e. taken us far from God, carried us into a region where God is not, or where at any rate "his presence is not felt" (Cheyne).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
All
כֻּלָּ֔נוּ (kul·lā·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

of us have become
וַנְּהִ֤י (wan·nə·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

like one who is unclean,
כַטָּמֵא֙ (ḵaṭ·ṭā·mê)
Preposition-k, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2931: Unclean

and all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

our righteous acts
צִדְקֹתֵ֑ינוּ (ṣiḏ·qō·ṯê·nū)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 6666: Rightness, subjectively, objectively

are like a polluted
עִדִּ֖ים (‘id·dîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5708: The menstrual flux, soiling

garment;
וּכְבֶ֥גֶד (ū·ḵə·ḇe·ḡeḏ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 899: A covering, clothing, treachery, pillage

we all
כֻּלָּ֔נוּ (kul·lā·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

wither
וַנָּ֤בֶל (wan·nā·ḇel)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 5034: To wilt, to fall away, fail, faint, to be foolish, wicked, to despise, disgrace

like a leaf,
כֶּֽעָלֶה֙ (ke·‘ā·leh)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5929: A leaf, foliage

and our iniquities
וַעֲוֺנֵ֖נוּ (wa·‘ă·wō·nê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity

carry us away
יִשָּׂאֻֽנוּ׃ (yiś·śā·’u·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common plural
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

like the wind.
כָּר֥וּחַ (kā·rū·aḥ)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 64:6 For we have all become as one (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 64:5
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