¶ Behold, the LORD'S¹ hand is not shortened, that it cannot save²; neither his ear³ heavy, that it cannot hear:

But your iniquities⁴ have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid⁵ his face from you, that he will not hear.

For your hands⁶ are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips⁷ have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

None calleth⁸ for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust⁹ in vanity, and speak¹⁰ lies; they conceive¹¹ mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch cockatrice¹²' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper¹³.

Their webs¹⁴ shall not become garments, neither¹⁵ shall they cover themselves with their works¹⁶: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Their feet¹⁷ run to evil, and they¹⁸ make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts¹⁹ are thoughts of iniquity; wasting²⁰ and destruction²¹ are in their paths.

The way²² of peace they know not; and there is no²³ judgment²⁴ in their goings: they have made them crooked²⁵ paths: whosoever²⁶ goeth therein shall not know peace.

¶ Therefore is judgment²⁷ far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait²⁸ for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.

¶ We grope²⁹ for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate³⁰ places as dead men.

We roar³¹ all like bears, and mourn³² sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation³³, but it is far off from us.

For our transgressions³⁴ are multiplied before thee, and our sins³⁵ testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know³⁶ them;

In transgressing and lying³⁷ against the LORD, and departing³⁸ away from our God, speaking³⁹ oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

⁴⁰And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Yea, truth⁴¹ faileth; and he that⁴² departeth from evil maketh himself a prey⁴³: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him⁴⁴ that there was no judgment.

¶ And he saw⁴⁵ that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore⁴⁶ his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

For he put on righteousness⁴⁷ as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments⁴⁸ of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal⁴⁹ as a cloke.

According⁵⁰ to their deeds⁵¹, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

So shall they⁵² fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When⁵³ the enemy⁵⁴ shall come in like a flood, the Spirit⁵⁵ of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him⁵⁶.

¶ And the Redeemer⁵⁷ shall come to Zion, and unto⁵⁸ them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

As for me, this⁵⁹ is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit⁶⁰ that is upon thee, and my words⁶¹ 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 henceforth and for ever.