1 B ehold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear.

¶ Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

2 B ut your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

3 F or your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips pronounce lies; your tongue speaks evil.

4 N one sues or calls in righteousness; no one goes to law honestly and pleads in truth; they trust in emptiness, worthlessness and futility, and speaking lies! They conceive mischief and bring forth evil!

No one calls for righteousness, nor do any judge by the truth; they trust in vanity, and speak vanities; they conceive trouble and bring forth iniquity.

5 T hey hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; he who eats of their eggs dies, and which is crushed a viper breaks out.

They hatch cockatrice’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; whosoever shall eat of their eggs shall die, and if they should squeeze them, a viper shall come out.

6 T heir webs will not serve as clothing, nor will they cover themselves with what they make; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Their cloth is unfit to be a garment, neither shall they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of violence, and the work of iniquity is in their hands.

7 T heir feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths and highways.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are their paths.

8 T he way of peace they know not, and there is no justice or right in their goings. They have made them into crooked paths; whoever goes in them does not know peace.

The way of peace they did not know; nor is there anything straight about their ways; they have wilfully made themselves crooked paths; whosoever goes therein shall not know peace.

9 T herefore are justice and right far from us, and righteousness and salvation do not overtake us. We expectantly wait for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity and gloom.

¶ Therefore judgment has withdrawn from us, and righteousness has never overtaken us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

10 W e grope for the wall like the blind, yes, we grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the twilight; in dark places and among those who are full of life and vigor, we are as dead men.

We grope for the wall like the blind, and as if we had no eyes we walk by touch; we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in graves as dead men.

11 W e all groan and growl like bears and moan plaintively like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.

We all roar like bears and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for saving health, but it has withdrawn from us.

12 F or our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know and recognize them:

For our rebellions are multiplied before thee, and our sins have testified against us; for our iniquities are with us; and we know our sins:

13 R ebelling against and denying the Lord, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and muttering and moaning from the heart words of falsehood.

To rebel and to lie against the LORD, and to depart away from our God; the speaking of libel and rebellion, to conceive, and to speak from the heart words of falsehood,

14 J ustice is turned away backward, and righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) stands far off; for truth has fallen in the street (the city’s forum), and uprightness cannot enter.

and that which is right has departed, and righteousness withdrew afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity could not enter.

15 Y es, truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice.

And the truth was taken captive; and he that departed from evil was imprisoned: and the LORD saw it, and it was displeasing in his eyes because that which is right was lost.

16 A nd He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought Him victory, and His own righteousness sustained Him.

¶ And he saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteous ness, it sustained him.

17 F or put on righteousness as a breastplate or coat of mail, and salvation as a helmet upon His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

For he put on righteousness as a coat of mail, and a helmet of saving health upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak,

18 A ccording as their deeds deserve, so will He repay wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; on the foreign islands and coastlands He will make compensation.

so as to give payment, so as to repay the vengeance of his enemies, and repay his adversaries; to the islands he will give recompense.

19 S o they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight.

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he shall come like a violent river impelled by the breath of the LORD.

20 H e shall come as a Redeemer to Zion and to those in Jacob (Israel) who turn from transgression, says the Lord.

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion and unto those that turn from the rebellion in Jacob, said the LORD.

21 A s for Me, this is My covenant or league with them, says the Lord: My Spirit, Who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from henceforth and forever.

And this shall be my covenant with them, said the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words, which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from now on and for ever.