1Look, Yahweh is powerful enough to save; he is not deaf and can hear.
2Instead, your wicked acts have created a barrier between you and your God. Your sins have made him turn his face from you, so he won't listen.
3Your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers are dirty with wickedness. Your lips speak lies, and your tongue mutters evil.
4No one takes legal action fairly, and no one argues honestly. They rely on worthless things and tell lies. They think up trouble and produce wickedness.
5They hatch snake eggs and weave spider webs. If someone eats their eggs, they die; if an egg is crushed, a poisonous snake comes out.
6Their webs cannot be made into clothes. They cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their actions are evil, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7Their feet eagerly rush to do evil, and they hurry to spill innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts. Ruin and destruction are everywhere they go.
8They don't know the path to peace, and there is no justice in their ways. They have created twisted paths for themselves; whoever walks on them will not find peace.
9That is why justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but only see darkness; we look for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10We feel along the wall like blind people. Yes, we grope around like those without eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were dusk. Among the strong, we are like dead men.
11We all roar like bears and moan bitterly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; for rescue, but it is far away from us.
12Our rebellious acts are numerous before you, and our sins speak against us. Our rebellious acts are with us, and we know our wrongdoings.
13We have rebelled and denied Yahweh, turning away from following our God. We speak of oppression and rebellion, and from our hearts, we create and speak lies.
14Justice is pushed back, and righteousness stands far away. Truth has fallen in the streets, and honesty cannot enter.
15Yes, truth is missing; and anyone who avoids evil becomes a victim. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.
16He saw that there was no one to help, and was amazed that no one would step in. So, he used his own power to bring salvation, and his righteousness supported him.
17He put on righteousness like body armor and a helmet of salvation on his head. He wore clothes of vengeance and was covered with passion like a cloak.
18He will repay them according to their actions, giving anger to his enemies and their deserved punishment to his foes. He will repay the coastal lands what they are due.
19So people will fear Yahweh's name from the west and his glory from where the sun rises. For he will come like a rushing river, driven by Yahweh's breath.
20“A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who turn from disobedience,” says Yahweh.
21“As for me, this is my agreement with them,” says Yahweh. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, nor the mouth of your children, nor the mouth of your children’s children,” says Yahweh, “from now on and forever.”