| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Look, the LORD's hand is not too weak to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you. | 1Indeed, the LORD's hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear. |
| 2But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. | 2But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen. |
| 3For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words. | 3For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers, with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongues mutter injustice. |
| 4No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin. | 4No one makes claims justly; no one pleads honestly. They trust in empty and worthless words; they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity. |
| 5They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched. | 5They hatch viper's eggs and weave spider's webs. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched. |
| 6Their webs cannot be used for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are sinful; they commit violent crimes. | 6Their webs cannot become clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their works are sinful works, and violent acts are in their hands. |
| 7They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful; they crush and destroy. | 7Their feet run after evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths. |
| 8They are unfamiliar with peace; their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful methods, and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. | 8They have not known the path of peace, and there is no justice in their ways. They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks on them will know peace. |
| 9For this reason deliverance is far from us and salvation does not reach us. We wait for light, but see only darkness; we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness. | 9Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we live in the night. |
| 10We grope along the wall like the blind, we grope like those who cannot see; we stumble at noontime as if it were evening. Though others are strong, we are like dead men. | 10We grope along a wall like the blind; we grope like those without eyes. We stumble at noon as though it were twilight; we are like the dead among those who are healthy. |
| 11We all growl like bears, we coo mournfully like doves; we wait for deliverance, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us. | 11We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. |
| 12For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, and our sins testify against us; indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds; we know our sins all too well. | 12For our transgressions have multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: |
| 13We have rebelled and tried to deceive the LORD; we turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds. | 13transgression and deception against the LORD, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. |
| 14Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter. | 14Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. |
| 15Honesty has disappeared; the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The LORD watches and is displeased, for there is no justice. | 15Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. The LORD saw that there was no justice, and He was offended. |
| 16He sees there is no advocate; he is shocked that no one intervenes. So he takes matters into his own hands; his desire for justice drives him on. | 16He saw that there was no man-- He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness supported Him. |
| 17He wears his desire for justice like body armor, and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. He puts on the garments of vengeance and wears zeal like a robe. | 17He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak. |
| 18He repays them for what they have done, dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries and punishing his enemies. He repays the coastlands. | 18So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and He will repay the coastlands. |
| 19In the west, people respect the LORD's reputation; in the east they recognize his splendor. For he comes like a rushing stream driven on by wind sent from the LORD. | 19They will fear the name of Yahweh in the west and His glory in the east; for He will come like a rushing stream driven by the wind of the LORD." |
| 20"A protector comes to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds," says the LORD. | 20The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression." This is the LORD's declaration." |
| 21"As for me, this is my promise to them," says the LORD. "My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward," says the LORD. | 21As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your children's children, from now on and forever," says the LORD. |
|
