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 so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull 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 made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does 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 have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.

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 sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; They conceive mischief 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 adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.

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 webs will not become clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And an act of violence 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 hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

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.

They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace. A Confession of Wickedness

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 justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom.

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 along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We stumble at midday as in the twilight, Among those who are vigorous we are like 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.

All of us growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We hope for justice, but there is none, For salvation, but it is far 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 transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And we know our iniquities:

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.

Transgressing and denying the Lord, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.

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.

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

Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.

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 was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld 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.

He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

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.

According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make 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 they will fear the name of the Lord from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the Lord drives.

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

“A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares 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.

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”