Yesaya 59:12-13

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, ¹ 

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well. ² 

59:13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;

we turned back from following our God.

We stir up ³  oppression and rebellion;

we tell lies we concocted in our minds. ⁴ 

Yesaya 64:4-6

64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, ⁵ 

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who intervenes for those who wait for him.

64:5 You assist ⁶  those who delight in doing what is right, ⁷ 

who observe your commandments. ⁸ 

Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.

How then can we be saved? ⁹ 

64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. ¹⁰ 

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

[59:12]  ¹ tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”

[59:12]  ² tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”

[59:13]  ³ tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[59:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”

[64:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “from ancient times they have not heard, they have not listened.”

[64:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”

[64:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”

[64:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”

[64:5]  ⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).

[64:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”