| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. | 1Indeed, the LORD's hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear. |
| 2But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. | 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, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. | 3For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers, with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongues mutter injustice. |
| 4No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. | 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 vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder 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 cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. | 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. |
| 7Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. | 7Their feet run after evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths. |
| 8The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know 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. |
| 9So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. | 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. |
| 10Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead. | 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 moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away. | 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 our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: | 12For our transgressions have multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: |
| 13rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. | 13transgression and deception against the LORD, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. |
| 14So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. | 14Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. |
| 15Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was 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 saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. | 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 put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. | 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. |
| 18According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. | 18So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and He will repay the coastlands. |
| 19From the west, people will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. | 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"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares 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 covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants--from this time on and forever," 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. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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