Yeshayahu 59 ישעיהו נ״ט

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness.

None calls in uprightness, nor any pleads in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch vipers’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eats of their eggs dies, and from that which is crushed, a viper breaks out.

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.

The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whoever walks in them knows no peace.

Therefore is justice far from us, neither does righteousness overtake us: we wait for light, but behold darkness: for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

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; among the strong we are as dead men.

We roar all like bears, we moan and moan 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 denying 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 backwards, and justice stands afar off: for truth is fallen in the street and upright dealing cannot enter.

And truth is absent; and he that departs from evil makes himself ridiculous: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him for there was no judgment.

And he saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation to him; and his righ­teousness, it sustained him.

For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

According to their deeds, so will he repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense.

So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun: when affliction comes like a flood which the wind of the Lord drives forth.

But to Żiyyon a redeemer shall come, and to them that turn from transgression in Ya῾aqov, says the Lord.

As for me, this is my covenant with them, says 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, says the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.