Isaiah 59:1–8

Warnings against Sin

¹Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,

nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.

²It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.

Because of your sins, he has turned away

and will not listen anymore.

³Your hands are the hands of murderers,

and your fingers are filthy with sin.

Your lips are full of lies,

and your mouth spews corruption.

⁴No one cares about being fair and honest.

The people’s lawsuits are based on lies.

They conceive evil deeds

and then give birth to sin.

⁵They hatch deadly snakes

and weave spiders’ webs.

Whoever eats their eggs will die;

whoever cracks them will hatch a viper.

⁶Their webs can’t be made into clothing,

and nothing they do is productive.

All their activity is filled with sin,

and violence is their trademark.

⁷Their feet run to do evil,

and they rush to commit murder.

They think only about sinning.

Misery and destruction always follow them.

⁸They don’t know where to find peace

or what it means to be just and good.

They have mapped out crooked roads,

and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace.