1 L o, the hand of Jehovah Hath not been shortened from saving, Nor heavy his ear from hearing.

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 been separating Between you and your God, And your sins have hidden The Presence from you -- from hearing.

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 have been polluted with blood, And your fingers with iniquity, Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue perverseness doth mutter.

For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.

4 T here is none calling in righteousness, And there is none pleading in faithfulness, Trusting on emptiness, and speaking falsehood, Conceiving perverseness, and bearing iniquity.

No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

5 E ggs of a viper they have hatched, And webs of a spider they weave, Whoso is eating their eggs doth die, And the crushed hatcheth a viper.

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 become not a garment, Nor do they cover themselves with their works, Their works works of iniquity, And a deed of violence 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 to evil do run, And they haste to shed innocent blood, Their thoughts thoughts of iniquity, Spoiling and destruction in their 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 A way of peace they have not known, And there is no judgment in their paths, Their paths they have made perverse for themselves, No treader in it hath known 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 hath judgment been far from us, And righteousness reacheth us not, We wait for light, and lo, darkness, For brightness -- in thick darkness we go,

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 feel like the blind the wall, Yea, as without eyes we feel, We have stumbled at noon as at twilight, In desolate places as the dead.

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 make a noise as bears -- all of us, And as doves we coo sorely; We wait for judgment, and there is none, For salvation -- it hath been 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 have been multiplied before Thee, And our sins have testified against us, For our transgressions with us, And our iniquities -- we have known 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 T ransgressing, and lying against Jehovah, And removing from after our God, Speaking oppression and apostacy, Conceiving and uttering 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 A nd removed backward is judgment, And righteousness afar off standeth, For truth hath been feeble in the street, And straightforwardness is not able to enter,

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

15 A nd the truth is lacking, And whoso is turning aside from evil, Is making himself a spoil. And Jehovah seeth, and it is evil in His eyes, That there is no judgment.

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 seeth that there is no man, And is astonished that there is no intercessor, And His own arm giveth salvation to Him, And His righteousness -- it 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 A nd He putteth on righteousness as a breastplate, And an helmet of salvation on His head, And He putteth on garments of vengeance clothing, And is covered, as an upper-robe, zeal.

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 to deeds -- so He repayeth. Fury to His adversaries, deed to His enemies, To the isles deed He repayeth.

According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense.

19 A nd they fear from the west the name of Jehovah, And from the rising of the sun -- His honour, When come in as a flood doth an adversary, The Spirit of Jehovah hath raised an ensign against him.

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 A nd come to Zion hath a redeemer, Even to captives of transgression in Jacob, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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

21 A nd I -- this My covenant with them, said Jehovah, My Spirit that on thee, And My words that I have put in thy mouth, Depart not from thy mouth, And from the mouth of thy seed, And from the mouth of thy seed's seed, said Jehovah, From henceforth unto the age!

“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.”