1. Behold, the hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear dull, that it cannot hear:
2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
3. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perverseness.
4. None calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth: they trust in empty words, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
5. They hatch viper's eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eats of their eggs dies, and from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.
6. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
7. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
8. The way of peace they know not; and there is no justice in their paths: they have made themselves crooked paths: whosoever goes in them shall not know peace.
9. Therefore is justice far from us, neither does righteousness overtake us: we wait for light, but behold darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; we are in desolate places as dead men.
11. We all growl like bears, and mourn greatly like doves: we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
12. For 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 them;