591 Behold , the Lord'S hand is not so short That it cannot save ; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear . 2 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 For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity ; Your lips have spoken falsehood , Your tongue mutters wickedness . 4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly . They trust in confusion and speak lies ; They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity . 5 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 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 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 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 .
9 Therefore e 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 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 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 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 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 Justice is turned back , And righteousness stands far away ; For truth has stumbled in the street , And uprightness cannot e enter . 15 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 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 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 According to their deeds , so He will repay , Wrath to His adversaries , recompense to His enemies ; To the coastlands He will make recompense . 19 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 Redeemer will come to Zion , And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob ," declares the Lord . 21 "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 e ."
