Discovery BoxIsaiah 59:1-4 
Context59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak 1 to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you. 2
59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;
your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. 3
59:3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with sin;
your lips speak lies,
your tongue utters malicious words.
59:4 No one is concerned about justice; 4
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false words 5 and tell lies;
they conceive of oppression 6
and give birth to sin.
Isaiah 59:12-15
Context59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, 7
and our sins testify against us;
indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;
we know our sins all too well. 8
59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;
we turned back from following our God.
We stir up 9 oppression and rebellion;
we tell lies we concocted in our minds. 10
59:14 Justice is driven back;
godliness 11 stands far off.
Indeed, 12 honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.
59:15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased, 13
for there is no justice.
1 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
2 tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”
3 tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”
4 tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”
5 tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”
6 tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”
7 tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”
8 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”
9 tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
10 tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”
11 tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”
12 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
13 tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”
