# Isaiah 59.1

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-10-14 | updated: 2026-10-14 -->

**Book:** [Isaiah](/codex/isaiah/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> **1. Behold, Jehovah's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:**
>
> 2. but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear. 3. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue muttereth wickedness. (Isaiah 59:1-3, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> **1. Behold, Yahweh’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.**
>
> 2. But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. 3. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies. Your tongue mutters wickedness. (Isaiah 59:1-3, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> **1. Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:**
>
> 2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. <sup>have hid: or, have made him hide</sup> 3. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. (Isaiah 59:1-3, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> **1. Lo, the hand of Jehovah Hath not been shortened from saving, Nor heavy his ear from hearing.**
>
> 2. But your iniquities have been separating Between you and your God, And your sins have hidden The Presence from you, from hearing. 3. For your hands have been polluted with blood, And your fingers with iniquity, Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue perverseness doth mutter. (Isaiah 59:1-3, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- [H3467 - yasha](/codex/h3467-yasha/), *yasha*, Strong's H3467
- [H8085 - shama](/codex/h8085-shama/), *shama*, Strong's H8085
- [H3068 - YHWH](/codex/h3068-yhwh/), *YHWH*, Strong's H3068

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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Deism vs the Christian God](/codex/deism-vs-the-christian-god/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.