Sin, Confession and Redemption
1Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
2But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
3For your hands are stained with blood,
your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken falsely,
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4No 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.
5They hatch the eggs of vipers
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and acts of violence are in their hands.
7Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.
They pursue evil schemes;
acts of violence mark their ways.
8The 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.
9So 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.
10Like the blind we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.
11We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12For our offenses are many in your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13rebellion and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,
uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
14So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
16He 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.
17He 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.
18According to what they have done,
so will he repay
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands their due.
19From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the Lord drives along.59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
20“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
declares the Lord.
21“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
Dhambi, Toba Na Ukombozi
159:1 Hes 11:23; Isa 50:2; 30:19; 41:20; 58:9; 65:24Hakika mkono wa Bwana si mfupi hata usiweze kuokoa,
wala sikio lake si zito hata lisiweze kusikia.
259:2 Za 18:41; Yn 9:31; Yer 11:11; Isa 58:4; Eze 39:23; Yer 5:25Lakini maovu yenu yamewatenga
ninyi na Mungu wenu,
dhambi zenu zimewaficha ninyi uso wake,
ili asisikie.
359:3 2Fal 21:16; Eze 22:9; Rum 3:15; Isa 1:15; Za 7:3; Isa 3:8Kwa maana mikono yenu imetiwa mawaa kwa damu
na vidole vyenu kwa hatia.
Midomo yenu imenena uongo,
nazo ndimi zenu zimenongʼona mambo maovu.
459:4 Za 7:14; Yak 1:15; Isa 5:23; Ay 15:31; Isa 44:20; 29:20; Ay 4:8Hakuna hata mmoja anayedai kwa haki;
hakuna hata mmoja anayetetea shauri lake kwa haki.
Wanategemea mabishano matupu na kusema uongo,
huchukua mimba ya magomvi na kuzaa uovu.
559:5 Ay 8:14; Mt 3:7; Isa 11:8Huangua mayai ya nyoka wenye sumu kali
na kutanda wavu wa buibui.
Yeyote alaye mayai yao atakufa,
na wakati moja lianguliwapo, nyoka hutoka humo.
659:6 Isa 28:20; Mit 4:17; Za 55:9; Isa 58:4Utando wao wa buibui haufai kwa nguo;
hawawezi kujifunika kwa kile walichokitengeneza.
Matendo yao ni matendo maovu,
vitendo vya jeuri vipo mikononi mwao.
759:7 2Fal 21:16; Mik 3:10; Mit 6:17; Rum 3:15-17; Mk 7:21-22Miguu yao hukimbilia kwenye dhambi,
ni myepesi kumwaga damu isiyo na hatia.
Mawazo yao ni mawazo maovu;
uharibifu na maangamizi huonekana katika njia zao.
859:8 Mit 2:15; Isa 57:21; Lk 1:79; Amu 5:6; Rum 3:15-17Hawajui njia ya amani,
hakuna haki katika mapito yao.
Wameyageuza kuwa njia za upotovu,
hakuna apitaye njia hizo atakayeifahamu amani.
959:9 Yer 8:15; Ay 19:8; Za 107:14; Isa 5:30; 8:20; Lk 1:79Hivyo uadilifu uko mbali nasi,
nayo haki haitufikii.
Tunatazamia nuru, kumbe! Yote ni giza,
tunatazamia mwanga, lakini tunatembea katika giza kuu.
1059:10 Mao 4:14; Sef 1:17; Ay 3:23; Yn 11:10; Kum 28:29; Isa 6:9-10; Mao 3:6Tunapapasa ukuta kama kipofu,
tunapapasa katika njia zetu kama watu wasio na macho.
Adhuhuri tunajikwaa kama wakati wa gizagiza;
katikati ya wenye nguvu, tuko kama wafu.
1159:11 Eze 7:16Wote tunanguruma kama dubu;
tunalia kwa maombolezo kama hua.
Tunatafuta haki, kumbe hakuna kabisa;
tunatafuta wokovu, lakini uko mbali.
1259:12 Ezr 9:6; Yer 2:19; Mwa 4:7; Isa 57; 12; 3:9; Yer 51:3Kwa sababu makosa yetu ni mengi machoni pako,
na dhambi zetu zinashuhudia dhidi yetu.
Makosa yetu yako pamoja nasi daima,
nasi tunayatambua maovu yetu:
1359:13 Hes 11:20; Za 12:5; Mt 12:34; Mk 7:21-22; Mit 30; 9; Tit 1:16; Isa 48:8Uasi na udanganyifu dhidi ya Bwana,
kumgeuzia Mungu wetu kisogo,
tukichochea udhalimu na maasi,
tukinena uongo ambao mioyo yetu imeuhifadhi.
1459:14 Neh 8:1; Isa 48:1; Yer 33:16; Isa 29:21; 1:21Hivyo uadilifu umerudishwa nyuma,
nayo haki inasimama mbali,
kweli imejikwaa njiani,
uaminifu hauwezi kuingia.
1559:15 Yer 7:28; Dan 8:12; Isa 5:7Kweli haipatikani popote,
na yeyote aepukaye uovu huwa mawindo.
Bwana alitazama naye akachukizwa
kwamba hapakuwepo haki.
1659:16 Isa 41:28; 65:3; Za 98:1; Isa 53:12; 46:13Aliona kuwa hakuwepo hata mtu mmoja,
akashangaa kwamba hakuwepo hata mmoja wa kuingilia kati;
hivyo mkono wake mwenyewe
ndio uliomfanyia wokovu,
nayo haki yake mwenyewe
ndiyo iliyomtegemeza.
1759:17 Efe 6:14; 1The 5:8; Ay 27:6; Eze 5:13; Efe 6:17; Isa 63:3Alivaa haki kama dirii kifuani mwake,
na chapeo ya wokovu kichwani mwake,
alivaa mavazi ya kisasi
naye akajifunga wivu kama joho.
1859:18 Hes 10:35; Isa 34:8; Mt 16:27Kulingana na kile walichokuwa wametenda,
ndivyo atakavyolipa
ghadhabu kwa watesi wake
na kisasi kwa adui zake,
atavilipa visiwa sawa na wanavyostahili.
1959:19 Isa 49:12; Za 113:3; Ufu 12:15; Mt 8:11; Za 97:6Kuanzia magharibi, watu wataliogopa jina la Bwana
na kuanzia mawio ya jua, watauheshimu utukufu wake.
Wakati adui atakapokuja kama mafuriko,
Roho wa Bwana atainua kiwango dhidi yake na kumshinda.
2059:20 Yer 35:15; Mdo 2:38-39; Rum 11:26; Ay 19:25; Isa 52:8; Yoe 3:21; Yer 35:15“Mkombozi atakuja Sayuni,
kwa wale wa Yakobo
wanaozitubu dhambi zao,”
asema Bwana.
2159:21 Isa 44:3; Ebr 8:10; Eze 36:37; Mwa 9:16; Kum 29:14; Isa 42:6; Kut 4:15“Kwa habari yangu mimi, hili ndilo agano langu nao,” asema Bwana. “Roho wangu, aliye juu yenu, na maneno yangu ambayo nimeyaweka katika vinywa vyenu, havitaondoka vinywani mwenu, wala kutoka vinywani mwa watoto wenu, wala kutoka vinywani mwa wazao wao, kuanzia sasa na hata milele,” asema Bwana.
