1. Behold, Adonai’s hand is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
2. Rather, your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. 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 lies, your tongue mutters wickedness.
4. No one sues justly, and none pleads a case 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— whoever eats their eggs dies; crack one open, a viper breaks out.
6. Their webs will not become clothing, nor will they cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are works of iniquity, an act of violence is in their hands.
7. Their feet run after evil. They rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Violence and ruin are on their highways.
8. They do not know the path of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have made their paths crooked. Whoever walks in them will not experience shalom.
9. That is why justice is far from us and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but behold darkness, for brightness, but walk in gloom.