Isaiah 59:1-12 ▼

1 Has the hand of the Lord no power to save? or has he made his ear heavy, so that he should not hear?

2 Nay, your iniquities separate between you and God, and because of your sins has he turned away his face from you, so as not to have mercy upon you .

3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with sins; your lips also have spoken iniquity, and your tongue meditates unrighteousness.

4 None speaks justly, neither is there true judgment: they trust in vanities, and speak empty words ; for they conceive trouble, and bring forth iniquity.

5 They have hatched asps' eggs, and weave a spider's web: and he that is going to eat of their eggs, having crushed an addled egg, has found also in it a basilisk.

6 Their web shall not become a garment, nor shall they at all clothe themselves with their works; for their works are works of iniquity.

7 And their feet run to wickedness, swift to shed blood; their thoughts also are thoughts of murder; destruction and misery are in their ways;

8 and the way of peace they know not, neither is there judgment in their ways; for their paths by which they go are crooked, and they know not peace.

9 Therefore has judgment departed from them, and righteousness shall not overtake them: while they waited for light, darkness came upon them; while they waited for brightness, they walked in perplexity.

10 They shall feel for the wall as blind men , and shall feel for it as if they had no eyes: and they shall feel at noon-day as at midnight; they shall groan as dying men.

11 They shall proceed together as a bear and as a dove: we have waited for judgment, and there is no salvation, it is gone far from us.

12 For our iniquity is great before thee, and our sins have risen up against us: for our iniquities are in us, and we know our unrighteous deeds.