'Righteousness' in the Bible

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me [without your repentance]?”Says the Lord.“I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of well-fed cattle [without your obedience];And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats [offered without repentance].

“Then I will restore your judges as at the first,And your counselors as at the beginning;Afterward you will be called the city of righteousness,The faithful city.”

Zion will be redeemed with justiceAnd her repentant ones with righteousness.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house (nation) of IsraelAnd the men of Judah are His delightful planting [which He loves].So He looked for justice, but in fact, [He saw] bloodshed and lawlessness;[He looked] for righteousness, but in fact, [He heard] a cry of distress and oppression.

But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in justice,And God, the Holy One, will show Himself holy in righteousness [through His righteous judgments].

There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace,[He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom,To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousnessFrom that time forward and forevermore.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

For though your people, O Israel, may be as the sand of the sea,Only a remnant within them will return;The destruction is determined [it is decided and destined for completion], overflowing with justice (righteous punishment).

But with righteousness and justice He will judge the poor,And decide with fairness for the downtrodden of the earth;And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

And righteousness will be the belt around His loins,And faithfulness the belt around His waist.

A throne will be established in lovingkindness,And One will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent (dynasty, family) of David;Judging and seeking justiceAnd being prompt to do righteousness.

In the night my soul longs for You [O Lord],Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;For [only] when Your judgments are experienced on the earthWill the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Though the wicked is shown compassion and favor,He does not learn righteousness;In the land of uprightness he deals unjustly,And refuses to see the majesty of the Lord.

“I will make justice the measuring lineAnd righteousness the mason’s level;Then hail will sweep away the refuge of liesAnd waters will flood over the secret [hiding] place.

Behold, a King will reign in righteousness,And princes will rule with justice.

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,And righteousness will live in the fertile field.

And the effect of righteousness will be peace,And the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

“Who has stirred up and put into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great]Whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step?The Lord turns nations over to himAnd subdues kings.He makes them like dust with his sword,Like wind-driven chaff with his bow.

“I am the Lord, I have called You (the Messiah) in righteousness [for a righteous purpose],I will also take You by the hand and keep watch over You,And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people [Israel],As a light to the nations (Gentiles),

The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sakeTo make the law great and prove to be glorious.

“Rain down, O heavens, from above,Let the clouds pour down righteousness [all the blessings of God];Let the earth open up, let salvation bear fruit,And righteousness spring up with it;I, the Lord, have created it.

“I have stirred up Cyrus and put him into action in righteousness [to accomplish My purpose]And I will make all his ways smooth;He will build My city and let My exiles go,Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of hosts.

“I have not spoken in secret,In a corner of a land of darkness;I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words],Declaring things that are upright.

“I have sworn [an oath] by Myself,The word is gone out of My mouth in righteousnessAnd shall not return,That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance].

“It shall be said of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’To Him people will come,And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.

“In the Lord all the offspring of IsraelWill be justified (declared free of guilt) and will glory [in God].”

“Listen to Me, you stiff-necked people,You who are far from righteousness (right standing with God).

“I bring near My righteousness [in the salvation of Israel], it is not far away;And My salvation will not delay.And I will grant salvation in Zion,And My glory for Israel.

“Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of IsraelAnd who come from the seed of Judah,You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the LordAnd invoke the God of Israel,But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].

“Oh, that you had paid attention to My commandments!Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a [flowing] river,And your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the [abundant] waves of the sea.

Saying to those who are bound and captured, ‘Go forth,’And to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, ‘Show yourselves [come into the light of the Savior].’They will feed along the roads [on which they travel],And their pastures will be on all the bare heights.

“You will be firmly established in righteousness:You will be far from [even the thought of] oppression, for you will not fear,And from terror, for it will not come near you.

“No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn.This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,And this is their vindication from Me,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says,“Maintain justice and do righteousness,For My salvation is soon to come,And My righteousness and justice is soon to be revealed.

“I will declare your [hypocritical] righteousness and your deeds,But they will not benefit you.

“Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways,As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousnessAnd has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God.They ask of Me righteous judgments,They delight in the nearness of God.

“Then your light will break out like the dawn,And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth;Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity],The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

No one sues righteously [but for the sake of doing injury to others—to take some undue advantage], and no one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather]They trust in empty arguments and speak lies;They conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.

Therefore justice is far from us,And righteousness does not overtake us.We [expectantly] hope for light, but only see darkness;We hope for gleam of light, but we walk in darkness and gloom.

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

He saw that there was no man,And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right];Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him,And His own righteousness sustained Him.

For He [the Lord] put on righteousness like a coat of armor,And salvation like a helmet on His head;He put on garments of vengeance for clothingAnd covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.

“Instead of bronze I will bring gold,And instead of iron I will bring silver,And instead of wood, bronze,And instead of stones, iron.And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers,And righteousness your rulers.

To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],The oil of joy instead of mourning,The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,My soul will exult in my God;For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,He has covered me with a robe of righteousness,As a bridegroom puts on a turban,And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For Zion’s sake I (Isaiah) will not be silent,And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,Until her righteousness and vindication go forth as brightness,And her salvation goes forth like a burning torch.

The nations will see your righteousness and vindication [by God],And all kings [will see] your glory;And you will be called by a new nameWhich the mouth of the Lord will designate.

Who is this who comes from Edom,With crimson-stained garments from Bozrah [in Edom],This One (the Messiah) who is majestic in His apparel,Marching in the greatness of His might?“It is I, [the One] who speaks in righteousness [proclaiming vindication], mighty to save.”

You meet him who rejoices in doing that which is morally right,Who remembers You in Your ways.Indeed, You were angry, for we sinned;We have long continued in our sins [prolonging Your anger].And shall we be saved [under such circumstances]?

For we all have become like one who is [ceremonially] unclean [like a leper],And all our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags;We all wither and decay like a leaf,And our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing], like the wind, takes us away [carrying us far from God’s favor, toward destruction].