Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; Your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear
For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt
Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things
No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity
They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil
Their feet rush into sin;
They are swift to shed innocent blood
They pursue evil schemes;
Acts of violence mark their ways
The way of peace they do not know;
There is no justice in their paths
They have turned them into crooked roads;
No one who walks along them will know peace
Justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us
We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes
For our offenses are many in your sight
And our sins testify against us
Our offenses are ever with us
And we acknowledge our iniquities:
Rebellion and treachery against the Lord
Turning our backs on our God
Inciting revolt and oppression
Uttering lies our hearts have conceived
So justice is driven back
And righteousness stands at a distance;
Truth has stumbled in the streets
Honesty cannot enter
Truth is nowhere to be found
And whoever shuns evil becomes a prey
Their feet rush into sin;
They are swift to shed innocent blood
They pursue evil schemes;
Acts of violence mark their ways
The way of peace they do not know;
There is no justice in their paths
They have turned them into crooked roads;
No one who walks along them will know peace
The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head;
He put on the garments of vengeance
And wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak
According to what they have done, so will he repay
Wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes
The Redeemer will come to Zion
To those in Jacob who repent of their sins
Isaiah 59