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Isaiah · JPS Tanakh (1917)

Isaiah 59 JPS Tanakh (1917)

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About JPS
  • Jewish
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 1917
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

Notes on this text (1)

1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy, that it cannot 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. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue muttereth wickedness. 4 None sueth in righteousness, and none pleadeth in truth; they trust in vanity, and speak lies, they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 5 They hatch basilisks' eggs, and weave the spider's web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall men cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, desolation and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they know not, and there is no right in their goings; they have made them crooked paths, whosoever goeth therein doth not know peace. 9 Therefore is justice far from us, neither doth righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but behold darkness, for brightness, but we walk in gloom. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, yea, as they that have no eyes do we grope; we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; we are in dark places like the dead. 11 We all growl like bears, and mourn sore like doves; we look for right, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are present to us, and as for our iniquities, we know them: 13 Transgressing and denying the LORD, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and perverseness, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the broad place, and uprightness cannot enter. 15 And truth is lacking, and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice; 16 And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him; 17 And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail, and a helmet of salvation upon His head, and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; to the islands He will repay recompense. 19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; for distress will come in like a flood, which the breath of the LORD driveth. 20 And a redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. 21 And 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.

Cross references (21)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Jeremiah 32:17; Isaiah 50:2; Numbers 11:23; Isaiah 65:24; Genesis 18:14
  2. 2 Proverbs 15:29; Jeremiah 5:25; Micah 3:4; Isaiah 1:15; Deuteronomy 31:17–18
  3. 3 Isaiah 1:15; Ezekiel 13:8; Jeremiah 2:34; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:30
  4. 4 Job 15:35; Micah 7:2–5; James 1:15; Jeremiah 7:4; Jeremiah 7:8
  5. 5 Matthew 3:7; Isaiah 14:29; Proverbs 23:32; Matthew 12:34; Job 8:14
  6. 6 Jeremiah 6:7; Revelation 3:17–18; Isaiah 57:12; Job 8:14–15; Habakkuk 1:2–4
  7. 7 Romans 3:15–17; Proverbs 6:17; Mark 7:21–22; Proverbs 1:16; Lamentations 4:13
  8. 8 Isaiah 57:20–21; Romans 3:17; Isaiah 5:7; Luke 1:79; Psalm 58:1–2
  9. 9 Isaiah 5:30; Job 30:26; Micah 1:12; Jeremiah 14:19; Lamentations 5:16–17
  10. 10 Deuteronomy 28:29; Job 5:14; Lamentations 3:6; John 12:40; Proverbs 4:19
  11. 11 Isaiah 38:14; Ezekiel 7:16; Isaiah 59:9; Jeremiah 9:1; Psalm 85:9
  12. 12 Ezra 9:6; Hosea 5:5; Jeremiah 14:7; Ezekiel 5:6; Hosea 4:2
  13. 13 Mark 7:21–22; James 3:6; Hebrews 3:12; Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 48:8
  14. 14 Ecclesiastes 3:16; Habakkuk 1:4; Micah 3:9–11; Jeremiah 5:31; Isaiah 5:23
  15. 15 Micah 7:2; Hebrews 11:36–38; Jeremiah 7:28; 1 John 3:11–12; Romans 8:36
  16. 16 Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 64:7; Psalm 106:23; Psalm 98:1; Isaiah 63:3–5
  17. 17 Ephesians 6:17; Ephesians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Romans 13:12–14; Isaiah 11:5
  18. 18 Jeremiah 17:10; Isaiah 63:6; Romans 2:6; Matthew 16:27; Nahum 1:2
  19. 19 Daniel 7:27; Psalm 113:3; Zechariah 4:6; Revelation 12:15–17; Psalm 22:27
  20. 20 Romans 11:26–27; Titus 2:11–14; Ezekiel 18:30–31; Acts 3:19; Hebrews 12:14
  21. 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).

  1. Quotes verse 59:2 Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament (Sermon XXI)

    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)

  2. Quotes verse 59:21 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture XVI)

    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)

  3. Quotes verse 59:20 Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm XIV)

    … 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)

  4. Quotes verse 59:6 Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm XC)

    "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)