Isaiah 59

1 Beholde, the Lordes hande is not shortened, that it can not saue: neither is his eare heauie, that it cannot heare.

Listen to this! Yahweh’s power [MTY] is not ended/gone, with the result that he cannot save [you]. He has not become deaf [MTY], with the result that he cannot hear [you when you call to him for help].

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.

But, you have separated yourselves from your God by the sins that you have committed. Because of your sins, he has turned away from you, with the result that he does not pay attention to what you request him to do.

3 For your handes are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquitie: your lips haue spoken lies and your tongue hath murmured iniquitie.

You do violent things [MTY] [to others], with the result that your hands are stained with their blood. You [constantly] tell [MTY] lies, and you say [MTY] evil things [about others].

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.

When you accuse someone in court, what you say is not fair and it is not true. You accuse people falsely. You are [constantly] planning to cause trouble for others, and then you do those evil things that you planned.

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.

What you plan to do to harm people [MET] is as dangerous as the eggs of a (cobra/poisonous snake), because cobras will hatch from those eggs. You trap people like [MET] spiders trap/catch insects in their webs.

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.

We people cannot hide/cover our skin with clothes made of spider webs [MET], and similarly you cannot hide the evil things that you have done. You are [constantly] acting [MTY] violently.

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.

You [SYN] are very quick to go and do evil things, and you hurry to murder people [MTY] who are innocent. You are [continually] thinking about sinning. Wherever you go, you destroy things and cause people to suffer.

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.

You do not know how to act peacefully or to treat others fairly. You always are (dishonest/deceiving others) [MET], and those who imitate your behavior never have any inner 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.

Because of that, God does not rescue us [from our enemies]; [it seems that] he is not acting fairly/righteously toward us. We expect [God to give us] light, but all [he gives us] is darkness [DOU].

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.

We are like [SIM] blind people who have to feel along a wall to be able to walk anywhere. We stumble [and trip] at noontime like [SIM] we would when it is dark. We are like [SIM] dead people who are among healthy people.

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.

We growl like [SIM] [hungry] bears; we continually moan like [SIM] doves. We seek [people who do] what is just/fair, but we cannot find any [anywhere]. [We want God] to rescue us, but [it seems that] he is far away.

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

[But these things are happening] because [it is as though] our sins are piled high in the presence of God, and that they testify [PRS] against us. We cannot deny it; we know that we have done many wrong things.

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.

[We know that] we have rebelled against Yahweh; we have turned away from him. We (oppress people/treat people cruelly) by what we testify [against them]; we do not allow them to get what they have a right to get. We [SYN] think about the lies that we can tell, and then we tell them.

14 Therefore iudgement is turned backewarde, and iustice standeth farre off: for trueth is fallen in the streete, and equitie cannot enter.

[In our courts, the judges] do not decide cases/matters fairly; no one is acting righteously. In plazas where people gather together, no one tells the truth [PRS]; [it seems that people] are not allowed to say what is true.

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.

No one tells the truth, and people try to ruin [the reputations of] those who quit doing evil. Yahweh looked around, and he saw that no one was doing what is just/fair, and he was [very] displeased.

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.

He was disgusted when he saw that no one tried to help [those who were being treated cruelly]. So he used his own power [MTY] to rescue them; it is because he is always righteous that he did that [PRS].

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.

[It is as though he is a soldier who] [MET] puts on his armor and a helmet; his continually doing what is right is like [MET] his armor, and his ability to rescue people is [like] his helmet. His being extremely angry and his being ready to get revenge [on those who do evil] are like [MET] his robes.

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.

He will repay his enemies for the evil things that they have done. He will severely punish [MTY] even those who live far [from Jerusalem].

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.

When that happens, people everywhere, from the east to the west, will respect and honor Yahweh [MTY], because he will come like [SIM] a rushing river that is pushed along by the strong wind that Yahweh sent.

20 And the Redeemer shall come vnto Zion, and vnto them that turne from iniquitie in Iaakob, saith the Lord.

And Yahweh says that he will come to Jerusalem to free [his people]; he will come to rescue those in Judah who have quit (doing sinful things/their sinful behavior).

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.

This is what Yahweh says to his people: “This is the agreement that I will make with you: My Spirit will not leave you, and you will always have my message. You will [be able to] declare it [MTY], and your children and grandchildren will [be able to] declare it forever.”