Isaiah 59:14
New International Version
So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.

New Living Translation
Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed.

English Standard Version
Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.

Berean Standard Bible
So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

King James Bible
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

New King James Version
Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter.

New American Standard Bible
Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.

NASB 1995
Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.

NASB 1977
And justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.

Legacy Standard Bible
Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And rightness cannot enter.

Amplified Bible
Justice is pushed back, And righteous behavior stands far away; For truth has fallen in the city square, And integrity cannot enter.

Christian Standard Bible
Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

American Standard Version
And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.

Contemporary English Version
Injustice is everywhere; justice seems far away. Truth is chased out of court; honesty is shoved aside.

English Revised Version
And judgment is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away. Truth has fallen in the street, and honesty can't come in.

Good News Translation
Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there.

International Standard Version
I'll drive back justice, and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth has fallen in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

Majority Standard Bible
So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

NET Bible
Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter.

New Heart English Bible
Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness can't enter.

Webster's Bible Translation
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

World English Bible
Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And judgment is removed backward, "" And righteousness stands far off, "" For truth has been feeble in the street, "" And straightforwardness is not able to enter,

Young's Literal Translation
And removed backward is judgment, And righteousness afar off standeth, For truth hath been feeble in the street, And straightforwardness is not able to enter,

Smith's Literal Translation
And judgment was turned away behind, and justice shall stand from far off: for truth fainted in the street, and right will not be able to come in.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice hath stood far off: because truth bath fallen down in the street, and equity could not come in.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And judgment has been turned backwards, and justice has stood far away. For truth has fallen down in the street, and fairness was not able to enter.

New American Bible
Judgment is turned away, and justice stands far off; For truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter.

New Revised Standard Version
Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Judgment is turned backward, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
We have turned judgment backward and we have stood righteousness at a distance, because the truth has fallen down in the road and reproof cannot come
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And justice is turned away backward, And righteousness standeth afar off; For truth hath stumbled in the broad place, And uprightness cannot enter.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And we have turned judgment back, and righteousness has departed afar off: for truth is consumed in their ways, and they could not pass by a straight path.
Audio Bible



Context
Sin Separates Us from God
13rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart. 14So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. 15Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 7:28
Therefore you must say to them, ‘This is the nation that would not listen to the voice of the LORD their God and would not receive correction. Truth has perished; it has disappeared from their lips.

Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land!

Amos 5:7
There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.

Micah 3:9
Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and pervert all that is right,

Psalm 82:5
They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Jeremiah 9:3-5
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD. / “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. / Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity.

Ezekiel 22:29
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.

Habakkuk 1:4
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Psalm 58:1-2
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? / No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

Lamentations 3:34-36
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, / to deny a man justice before the Most High, / to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.

Romans 1:18
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

Romans 3:10-18
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. / All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” ...

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

John 3:19-21
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. / Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. / But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. / For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, / in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.


Treasury of Scripture

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:4
None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

Isaiah 5:23
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Isaiah 10:1,2
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; …

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Able Afar Backward Behaviour Broad Driven Enter Equity Faith Fallen Far Good Judgment Justice Places Public Right Righteousness Squares Standeth Stands Straightforwardness Street Stumbled Truth Turned Upright Uprightness
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Able Afar Backward Behaviour Broad Driven Enter Equity Faith Fallen Far Good Judgment Justice Places Public Right Righteousness Squares Standeth Stands Straightforwardness Street Stumbled Truth Turned Upright Uprightness
Isaiah 59
1. Calamities are not due to lack of saving power in God, but to their own sins
16. Salvation is only of God
20. The covenant of the Redeemer














So justice is turned away
The Hebrew word for "justice" here is "מִשְׁפָּט" (mishpat), which encompasses not only legal judgments but also the broader concept of moral and ethical rightness. In the context of ancient Israel, justice was a foundational principle of society, deeply rooted in the covenantal relationship with God. The phrase "turned away" suggests a deliberate deviation from this divine standard. Historically, this reflects periods in Israel's history where leaders and people alike abandoned God's laws, leading to societal decay. For the modern believer, this serves as a cautionary reminder of the consequences when a society strays from God's ordained justice.

and righteousness stands at a distance
"Righteousness" in Hebrew is "צְדָקָה" (tsedaqah), which refers to right relationships and moral integrity. The imagery of righteousness standing "at a distance" paints a picture of alienation and separation from what should be central to communal life. In biblical times, righteousness was not just a personal virtue but a communal expectation. The distance implies a society that has pushed away the standards of God, creating a chasm between divine expectations and human actions. This serves as a call for Christians to draw near to God's righteousness, ensuring it is not marginalized in their lives.

for truth has stumbled in the public square
The word "truth" is "אֱמֶת" (emet) in Hebrew, signifying reliability, faithfulness, and constancy. The "public square" was the heart of civic life in ancient cities, a place for discourse and decision-making. The imagery of truth stumbling suggests a breakdown in societal integrity and the prevalence of deceit. Historically, this reflects times when falsehoods were propagated by leaders and accepted by the populace, leading to national crises. For believers today, this is a powerful reminder of the importance of upholding truth in all areas of life, especially in public and communal settings.

and uprightness cannot enter
"Uprightness" is translated from the Hebrew "נְכֹחָה" (nechochah), which conveys the idea of straightforwardness and honesty. The inability to "enter" suggests barriers erected by corruption and sin, preventing what is good and just from taking root in society. In the biblical context, this reflects a society so entrenched in wrongdoing that it becomes inhospitable to virtue. For the Christian, this is a call to be vigilant against the forces that seek to exclude godly principles from influencing society. It is an encouragement to actively work towards creating environments where uprightness can thrive.

(14) Truth is fallen in the street--i.e., the broad open place, or agora, of the city. The words point naturally to Jerusalem. If they refer to Babylon, we must assume, unless we deal with the language as altogether figurative, that the exiles had a quarter of their own, in which they had an agora for business and judicial proceedings.

Verse 14. - Judgment is turned away backward. In conclusion, the crying sin of perversion of justice is admitted with much amplification.

(1) Right judgment is exactly inverted - the innocent are condemned, the guilty acquitted.

(2) Justice standeth afar off - too far off to be able to hear those who make appeal to it.

(3) Truth is fallen in the street; i.e. false witness prevails over true in the courts of justice. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So justice
מִשְׁפָּ֔ט (miš·pāṭ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

is turned away,
וְהֻסַּ֤ג (wə·hus·saḡ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hofal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5253: Departing away, remove, take hold, turn away

and righteousness
וּצְדָקָ֖ה (ū·ṣə·ḏā·qāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6666: Rightness, subjectively, objectively

stands
תַּעֲמֹ֑ד (ta·‘ă·mōḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

at a distance.
מֵרָח֣וֹק (mê·rā·ḥō·wq)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious

For
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

truth
אֱמֶ֔ת (’ĕ·meṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 571: Stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness

has stumbled
כָשְׁלָ֤ה (ḵā·šə·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3782: To totter, waver, to falter, stumble, faint, fall

in the public square,
בָֽרְחוֹב֙ (ḇā·rə·ḥō·wḇ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7339: A broad open place, plaza

and honesty
וּנְכֹחָ֖ה (ū·nə·ḵō·ḥāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5229: Straightforwardness, integrity, a truth

cannot
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

enter.
לָבֽוֹא׃ (lā·ḇō·w)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 59:14 Justice is turned away backward and righteousness (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 59:13
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