Bible: Isaiah 59:3-15

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; 1 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words 2  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression 3 

and give birth to sin.

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched. 4 

59:6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes. 5 

59:7 They are eager to do evil, 6 

quick to shed innocent blood. 7 

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy. 8 

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. 9 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. 10 

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance 11  is far from us 12 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, 13  but see only darkness; 14 

we wait for 15  a bright light, 16  but live 17  in deep darkness. 18 

59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind,

we grope like those who cannot see; 19 

we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.

Though others are strong, we are like dead men. 20 

59:11 We all growl like bears,

we coo mournfully like doves;

we wait for deliverance, 21  but there is none,

for salvation, but it is far from us.

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, 22 

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well. 23 

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up 24  oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds. 25 

59:14 Justice is driven back;

godliness 26  stands far off.

Indeed, 27  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, 28 

for there is no justice.

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