1Has the hand of the Lord no power to save? or has he made his ear heavy, so that he should not hear?

2Nay, your iniquities separate between you and God, and because of your sins has he turned away his face from you, so as not to have mercy upon you.

3For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with sins; your lips also have spoken iniquity, and your tongue meditates unrighteousness.

4None speaks justly, neither is there true judgement: they trust in vanities, and speak empty words; for they conceive trouble, and bring forth iniquity.

5They have hatched asps' eggs, and weave a spider's web: and he that is going to eat of their eggs, having crushed an addled egg, has found also in it a basilisk.

6Their web shall not become a garment, nor shall they at all clothe themselves with their works; for their works are works of iniquity.

7And their feet run to wickedness, swift to shed blood; their thoughts also are thoughts ¹⁴⁴of murder; destruction and misery are in their ways;

8and the way of peace they know not, neither is there judgement in their ways; for their paths by which they go are crooked, and they know not peace.

9Therefore has judgement departed from them, and righteousness shall not overtake them: while they waited for light, darkness came upon them; while they waited for brightness, they walked in perplexity.

10They shall feel for the wall as blind men, and shall feel for it as if they had no eyes: and they shall feel at noon-day as at midnight; they shall groan as dying men.

11They shall proceed together as a bear and as a dove: we have waited for judgement, and there is no salvation, it is gone far from us.

12For our iniquity is great before you, and our sins have risen up against us: for our iniquities are in us, and we know our unrighteous deeds.

13We have sinned, and dealt falsely, and revolted from our God: we have spoken unrighteous words, and have been disobedient; we have conceived and uttered from our heart unrighteous words.

14And we have turned judgement back, and righteousness has departed afar off: for truth is consumed in their ways, and they could not pass by a straight path.

15And truth has been taken away, and they have turned aside their mind from understanding. And the Lord saw it, and it pleased him not that there was no judgement.

16And he looked, and there was no man, and he observed, and there was none to help: so he defended them with his arm, and established them with his mercy.

17And he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and placed the helmet of salvation on his head; and he clothed himself with the garment of vengeance, and with his cloak,

18as one about to render a recompence, even reproach to his adversaries.

19So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury.

20And the deliverer shall come for Sion's sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

21And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever.