1Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.59.2 have hid: or, have made him hide 3For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 4None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 5They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.59.5 cockatrice’: or, adder’s59.5 crushed…: or, sprinkled is as if there brake out a viper 6Their 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. 7Their 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.59.7 destruction: Heb. breaking 8The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.59.8 judgment: or, right
9¶ Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 10We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. 11We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. 12For 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; 13In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 15Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.59.15 maketh…: or, is accounted mad59.15 it displeased…: Heb. it was evil in his eyes
16¶ And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 17For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 18According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.59.18 deeds: Heb. recompences 19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.59.19 lift…: or, put him to flight
20¶ And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. 21As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith 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, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
Dom over folkets synd
1Hør her! Det er ikke sådan, at Herrens kraft er for svag til at redde jer, eller at han ikke kan høre jeres råb om hjælp. 2Nej, det er jeres synder, der afskærer jer fra Guds indgriben. Det er derfor, han har vendt jer ryggen og lukket ørerne for jeres bøn. 3Jeres hænder er jo tilsølet af blod, og jeres fingre er begravet i synd. I går rundt med løgn på læben, og jeres ondskabsfulde ord skaber ødelæggelse. 4Ingen dømmer retfærdigt. Jeres retssager er et spind af løgne. I bruger tiden på at lægge onde planer og fører dem selv ud i livet. 5I ligger og ruger på slangeæg og væver edderkoppespind. Hvis nogen spiser ægget, dør de. Hvis nogen træder på ægget, kommer der straks en slange frem. 6Jeres edderkoppespind er ubrugeligt. Man kan ikke sy tøj af det. I øver ondskab og vold. 7I er hurtige til at udtænke intriger og mord, jeres tanker er forpestet af synd, der er ødelæggelse og elendighed i jeres kølvand. 8I kender ikke fredens vej, men går ad krogede bagveje. De, som følger i jeres fodspor, finder ingen fred.
Folket erkender deres synd
9Ja, det er på grund af vores ondskab, at vi ikke oplever Guds redning. Det er derfor, han ikke straffer det folk, som undertrykker os. Vi håber på lysere tider, men det ser mere og mere sort ud. 10Vi famler os frem som blinde langs en mur, raver rundt, som havde vi ingen øjne, snubler ved højlys dag, som om det var kulsort nat. I vores bedste alder ligner vi omvandrende lig. 11Vi brummer som sultne bjørne, kurrer sørgmodigt som duer. Vi venter på, at Gud skal befri os, men han gør det ikke, for han har vendt sig bort. 12Vores synder hober sig op og anklager os over for den retfærdige Gud. Vi indrømmer, at vi er syndere, vi erkender vores skyld. 13Vi har været ulydige imod Herren og vendt vores Gud ryggen. Vi har undertrykt andre og gjort oprør. Vi har levet med løgn og bedrag.
Gud griber ind mod uretfærdigheden
14Retten er tilsidesat, retfærdigheden er gemt væk. Sandheden snubler på gaden, ærligheden kan ikke komme igennem. 15Ja, sandheden undertrykkes, og de, der gerne vil handle ret, overfaldes. Herren så, at der ingen retfærdighed var, og det bedrøvede ham. 16Han så, at ingen greb ind for at standse undertrykkelsen, og det undrede ham. Derfor vil han selv frelse sit folk med sine egne retfærdige handlinger. 17Han tager retfærdigheden på som brynje og sætter frelsens hjelm på hovedet. Han iklæder sig hævnens kjortel og hyller sig i vredens kappe. 18Han gengælder sine fjender for deres ondskab. De får løn som forskyldt. Hans straf når også de fjerne lande, 19så de lærer at frygte og ære ham—fra øst til vest. Den kommer som en rivende flod, drevet frem af Herrens åndepust.
20Herren vil komme til Zion som Befrieren for alle i Israels folk, som holder op med at være genstridige. 21„Det her er min pagt med jer,” siger Herren. „Jeg vil give jer af min Ånd, og den skal ikke forlade jer. Og de ord, som jeg har givet jer, skal bestå for evigt. I og jeres børn og alle jeres efterkommere skal holde fast ved alle ordene.”
