We asked why God would not hear us, while ignoring the cries we refused to hear.

“Call out full-throated; do not hold back! Raise your voice like a horn. Proclaim to my people their revolt, To the house of Jacob their sins.

They seek me day after day, And they express delight to know my ways, As if they were a nation that had practiced righteousness And had not abandoned the justice of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments, Delighting to draw close to God:

‘Why do you not see when we fast? And why do you not notice when we afflict ourselves?’

Because on the day of your fast, you pursue your own interests, And you oppress your laborers. Your fasting ends in quarrels and fights, And you strike with the fist of wickedness. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice heard in heaven.

Should the fast that I choose be like this, As a day for someone to afflict himself, To bow down his head like a rush, To make his bed on sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast and a day pleasing to Jehovah?

No, this is the fast that I choose: To remove the fetters of wickedness, To untie the bands of the yoke bar, To let the oppressed go free, And to break in half every yoke bar; To share your bread with the hungry, To bring the poor and homeless into your house, To clothe someone naked when you see him, And not to turn your back on your own flesh.

Then your light will shine through like the dawn, And your healing will spring up quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, And the glory of Jehovah will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and Jehovah will answer; You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am!’

If you remove from among you the yoke bar And stop pointing your finger and speaking maliciously, If you grant to the hungry what you yourself desire And satisfy those who are afflicted, Then your light will shine even in the darkness, And your gloom will be like midday.

Jehovah will always lead you And satisfy you even in a parched land; He will invigorate your bones, And you will become like a well-watered garden, Like a spring whose waters never fail.

They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account, And you will restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the repairer of the broken walls, The restorer of roadways by which to dwell.

If because of the Sabbath you refrain from pursuing your own interests on my holy day And you call the Sabbath an exquisite delight, a holy day of Jehovah, a day to be glorified, And you glorify it rather than pursuing your own interests and speaking idle words, Then you will find your exquisite delight in Jehovah, And I will make you ride on the high places of the earth. I will cause you to eat from the inheritance of Jacob your forefather, For the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.”

Isaiah 59

Look! The hand of Jehovah is not too short to save, Nor is his ear too dull to hear. No, your own errors have separated you from your God. Your sins have made him hide his face from you, And he refuses to hear you.

For your palms are polluted with blood And your fingers with error. Your lips speak lies, and your tongue mutters unrighteousness. No one calls out for righteousness, And no one goes to court in truthfulness. They trust in unreality and speak what is worthless. They conceive trouble and give birth to what is harmful.

They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake, And they weave the cobweb of a spider. Anyone who eats their eggs would die, And the egg that is crushed hatches a viper. Their cobweb will not serve as a garment, Nor will they cover themselves with what they make. Their works are harmful, And deeds of violence are in their hands.

Their feet run to do evil, And they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are harmful thoughts; Ruin and misery are in their ways. They have not known the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks. They make their roadways crooked; No one treading on them will know peace.

That is why justice is far away from us, And righteousness does not overtake us. We keep hoping for light, but look! there is darkness; For brightness, but we keep walking in gloom. We grope for the wall like blind men; Like those without eyes we keep groping. We stumble at high noon as in evening darkness; Among the strong we are just like the dead.

We all keep growling like bears And cooing mournfully like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far away from us. For our revolts are many before you; Each of our sins testifies against us. For our revolts are with us; We well know our errors.

We have transgressed and denied Jehovah; We have turned our backs on our God. We have spoken of oppression and revolt; We have conceived lies and muttered false words from the heart.

Justice is driven back, And righteousness stands far off; For truth has stumbled in the public square, And what is upright is unable to enter. Truth has vanished, And anyone who turns away from bad is plundered.

Jehovah saw this and was displeased, For there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And he was astonished that no one interceded, So his own arm brought about salvation, And his own righteousness supported him.

Then he put on righteousness like a coat of mail And the helmet of salvation on his head. He put on the garments of vengeance as his clothing And wrapped himself with zeal like a coat. He will reward them for what they have done: Wrath to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies. And to the islands he will repay their due.

From the sunset they will fear the name of Jehovah And from the sunrise his glory, For he will come in like a rushing river, Which the spirit of Jehovah drives along.

“To Zion the Repurchaser will come, To those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares Jehovah.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Jehovah. “My spirit that is on you and my words that I have placed in your mouth—they will not be removed from your mouth, from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your grandchildren,” says Jehovah, “from now on and forever.”

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#poetry #bible #isaiah