59:1   הֵן לֹא־קָצְרָה יַד־יְהוָה מֵהֹושִׁיעַ וְלֹא־כָבְדָה אָזְנֹו מִשְּׁמֹועַ׃

Isai. 59:1   Behold, the “hand” of the Lord is not too short to save,

                             and His “ear” not too heavy to hear,

59:2   כִּי אִם־עֲוֹנֹתֵיכֶם הָיוּ מַבְדִּלִים בֵּינֵכֶם לְבֵין אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶם הִסְתִּירוּ פָנִים םִכֶּם מִשְּׁמֹועַ׃

Isai. 59:2   but only your iniquities have caused separations

                             between you and your God,

                    and your sins have caused “face”

                              to be hidden from you, not hearing.

59:3   כִּי כַפֵּיכֶם נְגֹאֲלוּ בַדָּם וְאֶצְבְּעֹותֵיכֶם בֶּעָוֹן שִׂפְתֹותֵיכֶם דִּבְּרוּ־שֶׁקֶר לְשֹׁונְכֶם עַוְלָה תֶהְגֶּה׃

Isai. 59:3   For your hands are defiled by blood,

                             and your fingers by iniquity;

                    your lips speak lies;

                             your tongue would mutter injustice.

59:4   אֵין־קֹרֵא בְצֶדֶק וְאֵין נִשְׁפָּט בֶּאֱמוּנָה בָּטֹוחַ עַל־תֹּהוּ וְדַבֶּר־שָׁוְא הָרֹו עָמָל וְהֹולֵיד אָוֶן׃

Isai. 59:4   No one calls forth in righteousness,

                             and no one is judged in truth,

                     trusting only in vanity and speaking lies,

                             conceiving mischief and producing trouble.

59:5   בֵּיצֵי צִפְעֹונִי בִּקֵּעוּ וְקוּרֵי עַכָּבִישׁ יֶאֱרֹגוּ הָאֹכֵל מִבֵּיצֵיהֶם יָמוּת וְהַזּוּרֶה תִּבָּקַע אֶפְעֶה׃

Isai. 59:5   They hatch the eggs of the viper,

                             and they can weave the webs of the spider.

                   Whoever eats from their eggs would die,

                             and what is scattered would hatch a viper.

59:6   קוּרֵיהֶם לֹא־יִהְיוּ לְבֶגֶד וְלֹא יִתְכַּסּוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם מַעֲשֵׂי־אָוֶן וּפֹעַל חָמָס בְּכַפֵּיהֶם׃

Isai. 59:6   Their webs shall not be for garments,

                             and none shall be covered with their works.

                    Their occupations are works of iniquity,

                             and an act of violence is in their hands.

59:7   רַגְלֵיהֶם לָרַע יָרֻצוּ וִימַהֲרוּ לִשְׁפֹּךְ דָּם נָקִי מַחְשְׁבֹותֵיהֶם מַחְשְׁבֹות אָוֶן שֹׁד וָשֶׁבֶר בִּמְסִלֹּותָם׃

Isai. 59:7   Their feet must run to evil,

                             and they hurry to shed innocent blood.

                    Their thoughts are thoughts of evil;

                             desolation and destruction are in their paths.

59:8   דֶּרֶךְ שָׁלֹום לֹא יָדָעוּ וְאֵין מִשְׁפָּט בְּמַעְגְּלֹותָם נְתִיבֹותֵיהֶם עִקְּשׁוּ לָהֶם כֹּל דֹּרֵךְ בָּהּ לֹא יָדַע שָׁלֹום׃

Isai. 59:8   They do not know the way of peace,

                             and there is no justice in their goings.

                    They have made their paths crooked for themselves;

                             anyone treading on one does not know peace.

59:9   עַל־כֵּן רָחַק מִשְׁפָּט מִמֶּנּוּ וְלֹא תַשִּׂיגֵנוּ צְדָקָה נְקַוֶּה לָאֹור וְהִנֵּה־חֹשֶׁךְ לִנְגֹהֹות בָּאֲפֵלֹות נְהַלֵּךְ׃

Isai. 59:9   Therefore justice is withdrawn from us,

                             so righteousness can not reach us.

                   We can look for light but behold darkness,

                            we must wander in gloomy haunts for bright places.

59:10   נְגַשְׁשָׁה כַעִוְרִים קִיר וּכְאֵין עֵינַיִם נְגַשֵּׁשָׁה כָּשַׁלְנוּ בַצָּהֳרַיִם כַּנֶּשֶׁף בָּאַשְׁמַנִּים כַּמֵּתִים׃

Isai. 59:10   We can feel a wall like the blind,

                             and we might grope like one with no eyes.

                      We stumble in the noonday light like it was twilight,

                              in the desolate places, like the dead.

59:11   נֶהֱמֶה כַדֻּבִּים כֻּלָּנוּ וְכַיֹּונִים הָגֹה נֶהְגֶּה נְקַוֶּה לַמִּשְׁפָּט וָאַיִן לִישׁוּעָה רָחֲקָה מִמֶּנּוּ׃

Isai. 59:11   All of us can growl like bears,

                             and murmur sorely like doves.

                      We can look for justice but there is none,

                              for salvation is withdrawn from us.

59:12   כִּי־רַבּוּ פְשָׁעֵינוּ נֶגְדֶּךָ וְחַטֹּאותֵינוּ עָנְתָה בָּנוּ כִּי־פְשָׁעֵינוּ אִתָּנוּ וַעֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ יְדַעֲנוּם׃

Isai. 59:12   For our transgressions are manifold before You,

                             and our sins are a testimony against us.

                      For our transgressions are with us,

                             and our iniquities; we acknowledge them.

59:13   פָּשֹׁעַ וְכַחֵשׁ בַּיהוָה וְנָסֹוג מֵאַחַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ דַּבֶּר־עֹשֶׁק וְסָרָה הֹרֹו וְהֹגֹו מִלֵּב דִּבְרֵי־שָׁקֶר׃

Isai. 59:13   Transgression and dealing falsely with the Lord,

                             and turning away from following our God,

                      speaking extortion and apostasy,

                             conceiving and uttering words of deceit from the heart.

59:14   וְהֻסַּג אָחֹור מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה מֵרָחֹוק תַּעֲמֹד כִּי־כָשְׁלָה בָרְחֹוב אֱמֶת וּנְכֹחָה לֹא־תוּכַל לָבֹוא׃

Isai. 59:14   So justice must be turned away backward,

                             and righteousness must stand at a distance.

                      For truth stumbles in the street,

                             and integrity will not be able to come in.

59:15   וַתְּהִי הָאֱמֶת נֶעְדֶּרֶת וְסָר מֵרָע מִשְׁתֹּולֵל וַיַּרְא יְהוָה וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינָיו כִּי־אֵין מִשְׁפָּט׃

Isai. 59:15   Then truth is lacking,

                             and departing from evil makes one a prey.

                      And the Lord sees,

                             and it is evil in His “eyes,”

                      for there is no justice.

59:16   וַיַּרְא כִּי־אֵין אִישׁ וַיִּשְׁתֹּומֵם כִּי אֵין מַפְגִּיעַ וַתֹּושַׁע לֹו זְרֹעֹו וְצִדְקָתֹו הִיא סְמָכָתְהוּ׃

Isai. 59:16   And He sees that there is not a one,

                             and is astonished that there is no intercessor.

                      So for Him salvation is His own “arm.”

                            And His righteousness, it sustains Him.

59:17   וַיִּלְבַּשׁ צְדָקָה כַּשִּׁרְיָן וְכֹובַע יְשׁוּעָה בְּרֹאשֹׁו וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בִּגְדֵי נָקָם תִּלְבֹּשֶׁת וַיַּעַט כַּמְעִיל קִנְאָה׃

Isai. 59:17   So He puts on righteousness like a coat of mail,

                            and a helmet of salvation on His “head,”

                      and He puts on a garment of the clothes of vengeance,

                            and wraps Himself as with a cloak of zeal.

59:18   כְּעַל גְּמֻלֹות כְּעַל יְשַׁלֵּם חֵמָה לְצָרָיו גְּמוּל לְאֹיְבָיו לָאִיִּים גְּמוּל יְשַׁלֵּם׃

Isai. 59:18   According to deeds, so shall He repay:

                            Fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies.

                      To the islands He shall pay recompense.

59:19   וְיִירְאוּ מִמַּעֲרָב אֶת־שֵׁם יְהוָה וּמִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁמֶשׁ אֶת־כְּבֹודֹו כִּי־יָבֹוא כַנָּהָר צָר רוּחַ יְהוָה נֹסְסָה בֹו׃

Isai. 59:19   Then those in the west

                            shall fear the name of the Lord,

                      and those by the rising of the sun, His glory.

                            For distress shall come like a flood,

                     the “breath” of the Lord being displayed in it.

59:20   וּבָא לְצִיֹּון גֹּואֵל וּלְשָׁבֵי פֶשַׁע בְּיַעֲקֹב נְאֻם יְהוָה׃

Isai. 59:20   “Then a redeemer shall come to Zion

                            and to the repenters of transgression among Jacob,”

                      says The Lord.

59:21   וַאֲנִי זֹאת בְּרִיתִי אֹותָם אָמַר יְהוָה רוּחִי אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיךָ וּדְבָרַי אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי בְּפִיךָ לֹא־יָמוּשׁוּ מִפִּיךָ וּמִפִּי זַרְעֲךָ וּמִפִּי זֶרַע זַרְעֲךָ אָמַר יְהוָה מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עֹולָם׃

Isai. 59:21   As for Me, this shall be My covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My spirit, which is upon you, and My words, which I set in your mouth, shall not withdraw from your mouth or from the mouth of your seed, or from the mouth of the seed of your seed,” says the Lord, “from now and until everlasting.”

This covenant, I presume, was not for then, but for some future time when the redeemer comes to Zion and to the repenters of Jacob (v. 59:20).  But the Lord’s spirit is with us -- all of us -- then and always.

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