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Isaiah 59 from Scroll 1Q Isaiaha

Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save;

nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.

But your iniquities have separated you and your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you,

so that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood,

and your fingers with iniquity.

Your lips have spoken lies.

Your tongue mutters wickedness.

No one sues in righteousness,

and no one pleads in truth.

They trust in vanity,

and speak lies.

They conceive mischief,

and give birth to iniquity.

They hatch adders’ eggs,

and weave the spider’s web.

He who eats of their eggs dies;

and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.

Their webs won’t become garments.

They won’t cover themselves with their works.

Their works are works of iniquity,

and acts of violence are in their hands.

Their feet run to evil,

and they hurry to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity.

desolation and destruction and violence are in their paths.

They don’t know the way of peace;

and there is no justice in their ways.

They have made crooked paths for themselves;

whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace.

 

Therefore is justice far from us,

and righteousness doesn’t overtake us.

We look for light, but see darkness;

for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.

10 We grope for the wall like the blind.

Yes, we grope as those who have no eyes.

We stumble at noon as if it were twilight.

Among those who are strong, we are like dead men.

11 We all roar like bears,

and moan bitterly like doves.

We look for justice, but there is none;

and for salvation, but it is far off from us.

 

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you,

and our sins testify against us;

for our transgressions are with us,

and as for our iniquities, we know them:

13 transgressing and denying Yahweh,

and turning away from following our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

14 Justice is turned away backward,

and righteousness stands far away;

for truth has fallen in the street,

and uprightness can’t enter.

15 Yes, truth is lacking;

and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

 

Yahweh saw it,

and it displeased him that there was no justice.

16 He saw that there was no man,

and wondered that there was no intercessor.

Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him;

and his righteousness sustained him.

17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and a helmet of salvation on his head.

He put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and was clad with zeal as a mantle.

18 According to their deeds,

he will repay as appropriate,

wrath to his adversaries,

recompense to his enemies;

he will repay the islands their due.

19 So shall they fear Yahweh’s name from the west,

and his glory from the rising of the sun;

for he will come as a rushing stream,

which Yahweh’s breath drives.

 

20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion,

and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says Yahweh.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Yahweh. “And my Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says Yahweh, “from henceforth and forever.”

 

Isaiah 59 from Scroll 1Q Isaiahb

Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save;

nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.

But your iniquities have separated you and your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you,

so that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood,

and your fingers with iniquity.

Your lips have spoken lies.

Your tongue mutters wickedness.

No one sues in righteousness,

and no one pleads in truth.

They trust in vanity,

and they speak lies.

They conceive mischief,

and give birth to iniquity.

They hatch adders’ eggs,

and weave the spider’s web.

He who eats of their eggs dies;

and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.

Their webs won’t become garments.

They won’t cover themselves with their works.

Their works are works of iniquity,

and acts of violence are in their hands.

Their feet run to evil,

and they hurry to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity.

desolation and destruction are in their paths.

8 They don’t know the way of peace;

and there is no justice in their ways.

They have made crooked paths for themselves;

whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace.

[..]

20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion,

and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says Yahweh.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Yahweh. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says Yahweh, “from henceforth and forever.”

 

Isaiah 59 from Scroll 4Q59 Isaiahe

15 Yes, truth is lacking;

and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

 

Yahweh saw it,

and it displeased him that there was no justice.

16 He saw that there was no man,

and wondered that there was no intercessor.

Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him;

and his righteousness sustained him.

 

 

How to read these pages:

      The translation to the left is based on the World English Bible. Words in regular black font are words in the scrolls matching the traditional text for that passage.

      Words in italics cannot be seen in the scroll, since the scroll is fragmentary. These words are supplied for readability by the World English Bible translation.

      Words present in the scroll but with some letters unreadable or missing are in blue like this: blue. One Hebrew word often is translated into multiple English words, and when this occurs, all the English words are in blue.

      Words present in the scroll but with spelling differences that do not affect the meaning are in green like this: green. This is common in Hebrew.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the traditional text that are missing from the text of the scroll are marked through in red like this: strike-through.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the scroll that are not in the traditional text are underlined in red like this: new words.