Isaiah 59:1-8

A Confession of National Wickedness

59¹ Truly, the Lord's hand has not become short, so that he is unable to give salvation; and his ear is not shut from hearing: ² But your sins have come between you and your God, and by your evil doings his face has been veiled from you, so that he will give you no answer. ³ For your hands are unclean with blood, and your fingers with sin; your lips have said false things, and your tongue gives out deceit. ⁴ No one puts forward an upright cause, or gives a true decision: their hope is in deceit, and their words are false; they are with child with sin, and give birth to evil. ⁵ They give birth to snake's eggs, and make spider's threads: whoever takes their eggs for food comes to his death, and the egg which is crushed becomes a poison-snake. ⁶ Their twisted threads will not make clothing, and their works will give them nothing for covering themselves: their works are works of sin, and violent acts are in their hands. ⁷ Their feet go quickly to evil, and they take delight in the death of the upright; their thoughts are thoughts of sin; wasting and destruction are in their ways. ⁸ They have no knowledge of the way of peace, and there is no sense of what is right in their behaviour: they have made for themselves ways which are not straight; whoever goes in them has no knowledge of peace.