הֵן לֹא קָצְרָה יַד ה' מֵהוֹשִׁיעַ וְלֹא כָבְדָה אָזְנוֹ מִשְּׁמוֹעַ

Continuing his explanation of why the prayers of those fasting were not answered, the prophet declares: Behold, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save and His ear is not too heavy to hear your prayers.

כִּי אִם עֲוֹנֹתֵיכֶם הָיוּ מַבְדִּלִים בֵּינֵכֶם לְבֵין אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶם הִסְתִּירוּ פָנִים מִכֶּם מִשְּׁמוֹעַ

Rather, the sole reason that He does not answer you is that your iniquities have been separating between you and your God and your sins have concealed from you the face, from heeding. Your deplorable conduct has created a barrier that blocks God from hearing your prayers, as it were.

כִּי כַפֵּיכֶם נְגֹאֲלוּ בַדָּם וְאֶצְבְּעוֹתֵיכֶם בֶּעָוֹן שִׂפְתוֹתֵיכֶם דִּבְּרוּ שֶׁקֶר לְשׁוֹנְכֶם עַוְלָה תֶהְגֶּה

The prophet provides specific examples of his previous statement: For your hands are sullied with blood that you have spilled, and your fingers are contaminated with iniquity; your lips spoke falsehood, your tongue utters injustice. Since your actions and speech are evil, God ignores your prayers.

אֵין קֹרֵא בְצֶדֶק וְאֵין נִשְׁפָּט בֶּאֱמוּנָה בָּטוֹחַ עַל תֹּהוּ וְדַבֶּר שָׁוְא הָרוֹ עָמָל וְהוֹלֵיד אָוֶן

No one calls for justice. People use deceit and treachery rather than turning to each other in an upright, honest manner. Alternatively, no one rebukes others for sinning, or nobody prays. And no one is judged honestly. In court cases as well as in other types of disputes both sides attempt to deceive each other. The prophet offers another description of the same sorry state of affairs: Trusting in emptiness, and speaking futility. The people are rebuked here not for the inherent evil of their actions, but for their futility. They are continually conceiving wrong and giving birth to iniquity.

בֵּיצֵי צִפְעוֹנִי בִּקֵּעוּ וְקוּרֵי עַכָּבִישׁ יֶאֱרֹגוּ הָאֹכֵל מִבֵּיצֵיהֶם יָמוּת וְהַזּוּרֶה תִּבָּקַע אֶפְעֶה

The prophet describes the efforts of the people in committing sin through imagery taken from animal life: They hatch the eggs of an adder. Like an adder, which cracks open its egg from the inside, in their minds they constantly devise evil plans that ultimately spawn harmful actions. And they weave spider webs, which are spun for catching flies; one who eats of their eggs, those of the adder, will die from the poison, and the egg, which is crushed, or squeezed, or heated until it cracks, will bring forth a viper.

קוּרֵיהֶם לֹא יִהְיוּ לְבֶגֶד וְלֹא יִתְכַּסּוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם מַעֲשֵׂי אָוֶן וּפֹעַל חָמָס בְּכַפֵּיהֶם

Their webs will not be used for effectively protective garments and they will not cover themselves with their works. They are toiling not in order to prepare garments for their bodies, but so as to fashion traps. The conceiving of wrong and giving birth to iniquity, referred to in verse 4, is compared here to a harmful action that does not have long-lasting effects. Their works, the works of these people, are works of iniquity, as they use inappropriate force. Alternatively, the actions they perform have no permanence, and the product of villainy is in their palms.

רַגְלֵיהֶם לָרַע יָרֻצוּ וִימַהֲרוּ לִשְׁפֹּךְ דָּם נָקִי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיהֶם מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָוֶן שֹׁד וָשֶׁבֶר בִּמְסִלּוֹתָם

Their feet run to evil and they hasten to spill innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; robbery and ruin are on their highways. Their actions are directed to plunder, and consequently they are destructive as well.

דֶּרֶךְ שָׁלוֹם לֹא יָדָעוּ וְאֵין מִשְׁפָּט בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתָם נְתִיבוֹתֵיהֶם עִקְּשׁוּ לָהֶם כֹּל דֹּרֵךְ בָּהּ לֹא יָדַע שָׁלוֹם

They do not know the way of peace, as they have not ventured along that road at all, and there is no justice in their goings about, the manner by which they conduct their lives; their paths are crooked for them, themselves; anyone who walks on it, their path, does not know peace.

עַל כֵּן רָחַק מִשְׁפָּט מִמֶּנּוּ וְלֹא תַשִּׂיגֵנוּ צְדָקָה נְקַוֶּה לָאוֹר – וְהִנֵּה חֹשֶׁךְ לִנְגֹהוֹת – בָּאֲפֵלוֹת נְהַלֵּךְ

The prophet changes his point of view from speaking as an outside observer to speaking in the voice of his audience: If indeed we act in that manner, we are incorrect in our claims against God. Therefore, justice, in the form of our success and the punishment of our enemies, is far from us, and righteousness, or salvation, does not reach us; we long for light, but behold, darkness; we look for the brightness but in blackness we walk.

נְגַשְׁשָׁה כַעִוְרִים קִיר וּכְאֵין עֵינַיִם נְגַשֵּׁשָׁה כָּשַׁלְנוּ בַצָּהֳרַיִם כַּנֶּשֶׁף בָּאַשְׁמַנִּים כַּמֵּתִים

We grope a wall like the blind, searching for an opening, like the eyeless we grope to find an exit; we stumble at noon, when all is clear, as in the dark of night, like the blind, who receives no help from the light; we are in the dark [ashmanim] like the dead, who do not hear or see anything. Some commentaries interpret ashmanim as graves. Others interpret it to mean fat and healthy, or oil lights used to light the way, whether they go among the gentiles or among the living. In other words, even if they are healthy or have lights for illumination, they still feel as though they are among the dead or are walking in the dark.

נֶהֱמֶה כַדֻּבִּים כֻּלָּנוּ וְכַיּוֹנִים הָגֹה נֶהְגֶּה נְקַוֶּה לַמִּשְׁפָּט – וָאַיִן לִישׁוּעָה – רָחֲקָה מִמֶּנּוּ

We growl like bears during our prayers, all of us, and like doves with their distinctive sounds we coo. This might also be referring to cries of pain. We find ourselves simply chattering away, without the ability to extricate ourselves from our distress. We long for justice upon our enemies, but there is none, for salvation, but it grows distant from us. The nation feels as though it is trapped in a maze from which there is no exit. Although it understands that it is unworthy of salvation due to its actions, it is perhaps incapable of even considering any type of guidance.

כִּי רַבּוּ פְשָׁעֵינוּ נֶגְדֶּךָ וְחַטֹּאותֵינוּ עָנְתָה בָּנוּ כִּי פְשָׁעֵינוּ אִתָּנוּ וַעֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ יְדַעֲנוּם

For our transgressions against You are many and all of our sins have testified against us. This is not rebuke from an external source, but an acknowledgement of sin on the part of the people themselves. For our transgressions are with us, and we have not rid ourselves of them, and as for our iniquities, we know them:

פָּשֹׁעַ וְכַחֵשׁ בַּה' וְנָסוֹג מֵאַחַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ דַּבֶּר עֹשֶׁק וְסָרָה הֹרוֹ וְהֹגוֹ מִלֵּב דִּבְרֵי שָׁקֶר

We have performed transgression and denial of the Lord. If we mention His name, it is only in a negative context, to bolster our false statements or in a curse. And we are guilty of withdrawal from following our God, speaking exploitation and defiance, conceiving [horo] and uttering [hogo] words of falsehood from the heart. Others maintain that the term horo is from the root yud-reish-heh, which means to throw, and hogo is understood to mean removing or emerging. Accordingly, the phrase means: We hurl words of falsehood from the heart, and they emerge into the world.

וְהֻסַּג אָחוֹר מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה מֵרָחוֹק תַּעֲמֹד כִּי כָשְׁלָה בָרְחוֹב אֱמֶת וּנְכֹחָה – לֹא תוּכַל לָבוֹא

Therefore, justice has retreated and righteousness will stand at a distance, as truth has stumbled in the street. If truth were to walk on the street, the people would certainly thwart it. And any talk of uprightness cannot enter.

וַתְּהִי הָאֱמֶת נֶעְדֶּרֶת וְסָר מֵרָע – מִשְׁתּוֹלֵל וַיַּרְא ה' וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינָיו כִּי אֵין מִשְׁפָּט

Deceit and denial are the most commonly employed tactics around which their lives revolve. Truth is missing, and therefore one who abstains from evil is deemed insane and fanatical. Other explanations of this term are: He is disregarded, or his possessions have been plundered and disappeared, or he is trampled upon like a road. According to all these interpretations, this society viewed one who refrains from evil negatively, for not capitalizing on his potential opportunities. The Lord saw and it was evil in His eyes, as there is no justice, order, or righteousness;

וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֵם כִּי אֵין מַפְגִּיעַ וַתּוֹשַׁע לוֹ זְרֹעוֹ וְצִדְקָתוֹ הִיא סְמָכָתְהוּ

He saw that there was no virtuous man, and He was astonished that there was no one to intervene in this entire society, someone who would persist to maintain standards of justice or who would encourage others to do so. Since the situation was so difficult that people were apparently incapable of extricating themselves from it through their own efforts, God Himself interceded to impose order on the world: His arm brought salvation for it, as God alone will bring salvation to the people; and His righteousness supported it, the nation. The people’s salvation depends on God alone, not human actions. Consequently, God appears in the next verse as a man of war, as He is also described elsewhere in the book of Isaiah.

וַיִּלְבַּשׁ צְדָקָה כַּשִּׁרְיָן וְכוֹבַע יְשׁוּעָה בְּרֹאשׁוֹ וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בִּגְדֵי נָקָם תִּלְבֹּשֶׁת וַיַּעַט כַּמְעִיל קִנְאָה

He donned righteousness and justice like armor and a helmet of salvation on His head; He donned garments of vengeance, military garb, as His costume and He cloaked Himself with zealotry like a cloak.He wraps Himself, as it were, in rage and in vengeance. Since righteousness and uprightness have disappeared, He seeks to restore them.

כעַל גְּמֻלוֹת כְּעַל יְשַׁלֵּם חֵמָה לְצָרָיו גְּמוּל לְאֹיְבָיו לָאִיִּים גְּמוּל יְשַׁלֵּם

According to what is deserved, accordingly He will pay fury to His foes, retribution to His enemies, He will pay retribution against the lands of the sea, meaning distant lands. At the time of the redemption there will be not merely a limited change, but a global transformation.

וְיִרְאוּ מִמַּעֲרָב אֶת שֵׁם ה'וּמִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ אֶת כְּבוֹדוֹ כִּי יָבוֹא כַנָּהָר צָר רוּחַ ה' נֹסְסָה בוֹ

At that time, the glory of God will be revealed in the world, and they will fear the name of the Lord from the West, the ends of the world, and they will elevate His glory from the rising sun, as the enemy will come continuously, like a river,but the spirit of the Lord will be consuming [nosesa] within it. God will overpower, consume, and destroy him. Alternatively, an enemy will come whom the spirit of God has raised like a banner [nes] above all those around him.

וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן גּוֹאֵל ולְשָׁבֵי פֶשַׁע בְּיַעֲקֹב נְאֻם ה'

Then the redemption will arrive: A redeemer, God, as every mention of a redeemer in the book of Isaiah refers to God, will come to Zion, Israel, and salvation will come to those who repent from transgression in Jacob – the utterance of the Lord.

וַאֲנִי זֹאת בְּרִיתִי אוֹתָם אָמַר ה' רוּחִי אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיךָ וּדְבָרַי אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְּפִיךָ לֹא יָמוּשׁוּ מִפִּיךָ וּמִפִּי זַרְעֲךָ וּמִפִּי זֶרַע זַרְעֲךָ אָמַר ה'מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם

And as for Me, this is My covenant with them, those who have repented from sin and who are faithful to Me, says the Lord; My spirit that is upon you, Jacob, and My words that I have placed in your mouth will not move from your mouth, or from the mouth of your descendants, or from the mouth of the descendants of your descendants, said the Lord. This promise will be in effect not only for a few generations, but will remain from now and forever. As long as Israel fulfills the will of God, they will preserve their connection to Him and are assured of the redemption. The covenant between God and the Jewish people guarantees that His spirit and His word will not be cut off from among them.