Isaiah 59 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
1 Beholde, the Lordes hande is not shortened, that it can not saue: neither is his eare heauie, that it cannot heare.
1 Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.
2 But your iniquities haue separated betweene you and your God, and your sinnes haue hidde his face from you, that he will not heare.
2 But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
3 For your handes are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquitie: your lips haue spoken lies and your tongue hath murmured iniquitie.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies. Your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No man calleth for iustice: no man contendeth for trueth: they trust in vanitie, and speake vaine things: they conceiue mischiefe, and bring foorth iniquitie.
4 No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies. They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 They hatch cockatrice egges, and weaue the spiders webbe: he that eateth of their egges, dieth, and that which is trode vpon, breaketh out into a serpent.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web. He who eats of their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.
6 Their webbes shall be no garment, neither shall they couer themselues with their labours: for their workes are workes of iniquitie, and the worke of crueltie is in their handes.
6 Their webs won’t become garments. They won’t cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7 Their feete runne to euill, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are wicked thoughts: desolation and destruction is in their paths.
7 Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Desolation and destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of peace they knowe not, and there is none equitie in their goings: they haue made them crooked paths: whosoeuer goeth therein, shall not knowe peace.
8 They don’t know the way of peace; and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace.
9 Therefore is iudgement farre from vs, neither doeth iustice come neere vnto vs: we waite for light, but loe, it is darkenesse: for brightnesse, but we walke in darkenesse.
9 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.
10 Wee grope for the wall like the blinde, and we grope as one without eyes: we stumble at the noone day as in the twilight: we are in solitarie places, as dead men.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind. Yes, we grope as those who have no eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. Among those who are strong, we are like dead men.
11 We roare all like beares, and mourne like dooues: wee looke for equitie, but there is none: for health, but it is farre from vs.
11 We all roar like bears and moan sadly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far off from us.
12 For our trespasses are many before thee, and our sinnes testifie against vs: for our trespasses are with vs, and we knowe our iniquities
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 In trespassing and lying against the Lord, and wee haue departed away from our God, and haue spoken of crueltie and rebellion, conceiuing and vttering out of the heart false matters.
13 transgressing and denying Yahweh, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
14 Therefore iudgement is turned backewarde, and iustice standeth farre off: for trueth is fallen in the streete, and equitie cannot enter.
14 Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter.
15 Yea, trueth faileth, and hee that refraineth from euill, maketh himselfe a praye: and when the Lord sawe it, it displeased him, that there was no iudgement.
15 Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.
16 And when he sawe that there was no man, hee wondered that none woulde offer him selfe. Therefore his arme did saue it, and his righteousnes it selfe did sustaine it.
16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness sustained him.
17 For he put on righteousnes, as an habergeon, and an helmet of saluation vpon his head, and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeale as a cloke.
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.
18 As to make recompence, as to requite the furie of the aduersaries with a recompence to his enemies: he will fully repaire the ylands.
18 According to their deeds, he will repay as appropriate: wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies. He will repay the islands their due.
19 So shall they feare the Name of the Lord from the West, and his glory from the rising of the sunne: for the enemie shall come like a flood: but the Spirit of the Lord shall chase him away.
19 So they will fear Yahweh’s name from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which Yahweh’s breath drives.
20 And the Redeemer shall come vnto Zion, and vnto them that turne from iniquitie in Iaakob, saith the Lord.
20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says Yahweh.
21 And I will make this my couenant with them, saith the Lord. My Spirit that is vpon thee, and my wordes, which I haue put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seede, nor out of the mouth of the seede of thy seede, saith the Lord, from hencefoorth euen for euer.
21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Yahweh. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says Yahweh, “from now on and forever.”
Cross references (21)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Jeremiah 32:17; Isaiah 50:2; Numbers 11:23; Isaiah 65:24; Genesis 18:14
- 2 Proverbs 15:29; Jeremiah 5:25; Micah 3:4; Isaiah 1:15; Deuteronomy 31:17–18
- 3 Isaiah 1:15; Ezekiel 13:8; Jeremiah 2:34; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:30
- 4 Job 15:35; Micah 7:2–5; James 1:15; Jeremiah 7:4; Jeremiah 7:8
- 5 Matthew 3:7; Isaiah 14:29; Proverbs 23:32; Matthew 12:34; Job 8:14
- 6 Jeremiah 6:7; Revelation 3:17–18; Isaiah 57:12; Job 8:14–15; Habakkuk 1:2–4
- 7 Romans 3:15–17; Proverbs 6:17; Mark 7:21–22; Proverbs 1:16; Lamentations 4:13
- 8 Isaiah 57:20–21; Romans 3:17; Isaiah 5:7; Luke 1:79; Psalm 58:1–2
- 9 Isaiah 5:30; Job 30:26; Micah 1:12; Jeremiah 14:19; Lamentations 5:16–17
- 10 Deuteronomy 28:29; Job 5:14; Lamentations 3:6; John 12:40; Proverbs 4:19
- 11 Isaiah 38:14; Ezekiel 7:16; Isaiah 59:9; Jeremiah 9:1; Psalm 85:9
- 12 Ezra 9:6; Hosea 5:5; Jeremiah 14:7; Ezekiel 5:6; Hosea 4:2
- 13 Mark 7:21–22; James 3:6; Hebrews 3:12; Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 48:8
- 14 Ecclesiastes 3:16; Habakkuk 1:4; Micah 3:9–11; Jeremiah 5:31; Isaiah 5:23
- 15 Micah 7:2; Hebrews 11:36–38; Jeremiah 7:28; 1 John 3:11–12; Romans 8:36
- 16 Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 64:7; Psalm 106:23; Psalm 98:1; Isaiah 63:3–5
- 17 Ephesians 6:17; Ephesians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Romans 13:12–14; Isaiah 11:5
- 18 Jeremiah 17:10; Isaiah 63:6; Romans 2:6; Matthew 16:27; Nahum 1:2
- 19 Daniel 7:27; Psalm 113:3; Zechariah 4:6; Revelation 12:15–17; Psalm 22:27
- 20 Romans 11:26–27; Titus 2:11–14; Ezekiel 18:30–31; Acts 3:19; Hebrews 12:14
- 21 Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 10:16; Ezekiel 36:25–27; Jeremiah 32:38–41; Hebrews 8:6–13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For while they remain, there remains in some sort enmity against God, and alienation from Him, which comes from what is evil in us; since Scripture does not speak falsely, which says, "Your sins separate between you and God." He does not then bestow on us His good things, except He take away our evil things.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
And again, I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed; and again, And now the Lord Almighty and His Spirit hath sent Me; and again, This is My covenant with them, saith the Lord, My Spirit which is upon thee; and again, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me, and the rest; and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
… Gentiles might enter in," in that other should happen what follows, "and so all Israel should be saved." For the Apostle too takes that testimony of Isaiah, where it is said, "There shall come out of Sion He who shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:" for the Jews, as it is here, "Who shall give salvation to Israel out of …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
"Our years are passed in thought like a spider." We were labouring in things corruptible, corruptible works were we weaving together: which, as the Prophet Isaiah saith, by no means covered us. "The days of our years are in themselves," etc.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)