Isaiah 59

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:	1 No, the arm of Yahweh is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear,
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.	2 but your guilty deeds have made a gulf between you and your God. Your sins have made him hide hisface from you so as not to hear you,
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.	3 since your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with guilt; your lips utter lies, your tonguesmurmur wickedness.
4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.	4 No one makes upright accusations or pleads sincerely. Al rely on empty words, utter falsehood,conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.	5 They are hatching adders' eggs and weaving a spider's web; eat one of their eggs and you die, crushone and a viper emerges.
6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.	6 Their webs are useless for clothing, their deeds are useless for wearing; their deeds are deeds of guilt,violence fil s their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil, and they make hast to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.	7 Their feet run to do evil; they are quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of guilt,wherever they go there is havoc and ruin.
8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.	8 They do not know the way of peace, there is no fair judgement in their course, they have made theirown crooked paths, and no one treading them knows any peace.
9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.	9 Thus fair judgement is remote from us nor can uprightness overtake us. We looked for light and all isdarkness, for brightness and we walk in gloom.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.	10 Like the blind we feel our way along walls, we grope our way like people without eyes. We stumble asthough noon were twilight, among the robust we are like the dead.
11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.	11 We growl, al of us, like bears, like doves we make no sound but moaning, waiting for the fairjudgement that never comes, for salvation, but that is far away.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;	12 How often we have rebel ed against you and our sins bear witness against us. Our rebellious acts areindeed with us, we are wel aware of our guilt:
13 In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.	13 rebel ion and denial of Yahweh, turning our back on our God, talking violence and revolt, murmuringlies in our heart.
14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.	14 Fair judgement is driven away and saving justice stands aloof, for good faith has stumbled in thestreet and sincerity cannot enter.
15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.	15 Good faith has vanished; anyone abstaining from evil is victimised. Yahweh saw this and wasdispleased that there was no fair judgement.
16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.	16 He saw there was no one and wondered there was no one to intervene. So he made his own arm hismainstay, his own saving justice his support.
17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.	17 He put on saving justice like a breastplate, on his head the helmet of salvation. He put on the clothesof vengeance like a tunic and wrapped himself in jealousy like a cloak.
18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.	18 To each he repays his due, retribution to his enemies, reprisals on his foes, to the coasts and islandshe wil repay their due.
19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.	19 From the west, Yahweh's name wil be feared, and from the east, his glory, for he will come like apent-up stream impel ed by the breath of Yahweh.
20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.	20 Then for Zion wil come a redeemer, for those who stop rebel ing in Jacob, declares Yahweh.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.	21 'For my part, this is my covenant with them, says Yahweh. My spirit with which I endowed you, andmy words that I have put in your mouth, wil not leave your mouth, or the mouths of your children, or the mouthsof your children's children, says Yahweh, henceforth and for ever.'