Isaías 59

Se, for kort til at frelse er ej HERRENs Arm, Hans Øre er ikke for sløvt til at høre.

Eders Brøde er det, der skiller mellem eder og eders Gud, eders Synder skjuler hans Åsyn for jer, så han ikke hører.

Eders Hænder er jo sølet at Blod, eders Fingre sølet af Brøde; Læberne farer med Løgn, Tungen taler, hvad ondt er.

Med Ret stævner ingen til Doms eller fører ærligt sin Sag. Man stoler på tomt, taler falsk, man undfanger Kval, føder Uret.

Slangeæg ruger de ud, og Spindelvæv er, hvad de væver. Man dør, hvis man spiser et Æg, en Øgle kommer frem, hvis det knuses.

Deres Spind kan ej bruges til Klæder, ingen hyller sig i, hvad de laver; deres Værk er Ulykkesværk, og i deres Hænder er Vold;

deres Fødder haster til ondt, til at udgyde skyldfrit Blod; deres Tanker er Ulykkestanker; hvor de færdes, er Vold og Våde;

de kender ej Fredens Veje, der er ingen Ret i deres Spor; de gør sig krogede Stier; Fred kender ingen, som træder dem.

Derfor er Ret os fjern, og Retfærd når os ikke; vi bier på Lys se, Mørke, på Dagning, men vandrer i Mulm;

vi famler langs Væggen som blinde, famler, som savnede vi Øjne, vi snubler ved Middag som i Skumring, er som døde i vor kraftigste Alder;

vi brummer alle som Bjørne, kurrer vemodigt som Duer; vi bier forgæves på Ret, på Frelse, den er os fjern.

Thi du ser; vore Synder er mange, vor Brøde vidner imod os: ja, vi har vore Synder for Øje, vi kender såvel vor Skyld:

Vi faldt fra og fornægtede HERREN, veg langt bort fra vor Gud, vor Tale var Vold og Frafald, og vi fremførte Løgne fra Hjertet.

Retten trænges tilbage, Retfærd står i det fjerne, thi Sandhed snubler på Gaden, Ærlighed har ingen Gænge;

Sandhedens Plads står tom, og skyr man det onde, flås man. Og HERREN så til med Harme, fordi der ikke var Ret;

han så, at der ingen var, og det undrede ham, at ingen greb ind. Da kom hans Arm ham til Hjælp, hans Retfærd, den stod ham bi;

han tog Retfærds Brynje på, satte Frelsens Hjelm på sit Hoved, tog Hævnens Kjortel på og hylled sig i Nidkærheds Kappe.

Han gengælder efter Fortjeneste, Vrede mod Uvenner, Gengæld mod Fjender, mod fjerne Strande gør han Gengæld,

så HERRENs Navn frygtes i Vest, hans Herlighed, hvor Sol står op. Thi han kommer som en indestængt Flom, der drives af HERRENs Ånde.

En Genløser kommer fra Zion og fjerner Frafald i Jakob, lyder det fra HERREN.

Dette er min Pagt med dem, siger HERREN: Min Ånd, som er over dig, og mine Ord, som jeg har lagt i din Mund, skal ikke vige fra din eller dit Afkoms eller dit Afkoms Afkoms Mund, siger HERREN, fra nu og til evig Tid.

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid {his} face from you, that he will not hear. {have hid: or, have made him hide}

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

None calleth for justice, nor {any} pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

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. {cockatrice': or, adder's} {crushed...: or, sprinkled is as if there brake out a viper}

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.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts {are} thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction {are} in their paths. {destruction: Heb. breaking}

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. {judgment: or, right}

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.

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}.

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.

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;

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.

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

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. {maketh...: or, is accounted mad} {it displeased...: Heb. it was evil in his eyes}

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.

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.

According to {their} deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. {deeds: Heb. recompences}

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. {lift...: or, put him to flight}

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

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.