1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak to deliver you;

his ear is not too deaf to hear you.

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 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

4 No one is concerned about justice;

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression

and give birth to sin.

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.

6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;

they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are sinful;

they commit violent crimes.

7 They are eager to do evil,

quick to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy.

8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust.

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.

9 For this reason deliverance is far from us

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, but see only darkness;

we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness.

10 We grope along the wall like the blind,

we grope like those who cannot see;

we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.

Though others are strong, we are like dead men.

11 We all growl like bears,

we coo mournfully like doves;

we wait for deliverance, but there is none,

for salvation, but it is far from us.

12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds,

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well.

13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds.

14 Justice is driven back;

godliness stands far off.

Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square

and morality is not even able to enter.

15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased,

for there is no justice.

16 He sees there is no advocate;

he is shocked that no one intervenes.

So he takes matters into his own hands;

his desire for justice drives him on.

17 He wears his desire for justice like body armor,

and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head.

He puts on the garments of vengeance

and wears zeal like a robe.

18 He repays them for what they have done,

dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries

and punishing his enemies.

He repays the coastlands.

19 In the west, people respect the Lord’s reputation;

in the east they recognize his splendor.

For he comes like a rushing stream

driven on by wind sent from the Lord.

20 “A protector comes to Zion,

to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” says the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my promise to them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” says the Lord.

60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!

The splendor of the Lord shines on you!

2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor appears over you.

3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

4 Look all around you!

They all gather and come to you—

your sons come from far away,

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

5 Then you will look and smile,

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride.

For the riches of distant lands will belong to you,

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

6 Camel caravans will cover your roads,

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord.

7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.

They will go up on my altar acceptably,

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

8 Who are these who float along like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters?

9 Indeed, the coastlands look eagerly for me;

the large ships are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, for he has bestowed honor on you.

10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.

11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way.

12 Indeed, nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will definitely be destroyed.

13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace;

I will bestow honor on my throne room.

14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’

15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings.

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your Deliverer,

your Protector, the Powerful One of Jacob.

17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold;

instead of iron, I will bring you silver;

instead of wood, I will bring you bronze;

instead of stones, I will bring you iron.

I will make prosperity your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler.

18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light—

the splendor of your God will shine upon you.

20 Your sun will no longer set;

your moon will not disappear;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light;

your time of sorrow will be over.

21 All your people will be godly;

they will possess the land permanently.

I will plant them like a shoot;

they will be the product of my labor,

through whom I reveal my splendor.

22 The least of you will multiply into a thousand;

the smallest of you will become a large nation.

When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!”