| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1"See, the LORD's hand is not too short to save, nor are his ears too dull to hear. | 1Indeed, the LORD's hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear. |
| 2Instead, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have concealed his face from you so that he won't listen. | 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 defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your tongue mutters wickedness. | 3For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers, with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongues mutter injustice. |
| 4No one brings a lawsuit fairly, and no one goes to law honestly; they have relied on empty arguments and they tell lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity. | 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 adders' eggs and weave a spider's web; whoever eats their eggs dies, and any crushed egg hatches out futility. | 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 cannot become clothing, they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are deeds of iniquity, and acts of violence fill 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 to evil, and they are quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; ruin, destruction, and violence are in their paths. | 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 pathway of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their courses. They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks in 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. |
| 9"So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We wait for light, but look—there is darkness; we wait for brightness, but we walk 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. |
| 10Let's grope along the wall like the blind; let us grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as if it were twilight, in desolate places like dead people. | 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 sigh mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but there is none, and for deliverance, but it's 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. |
| 12"For our transgressions before you are many, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we acknowledge them: | 12For our transgressions have multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: |
| 13they've rebelled in treachery against the LORD, and are turning away from following our God; and they've spoken oppression and revolt, and are conceiving lying words from the heart. | 13transgression and deception against the LORD, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. |
| 14I'll drive back justice, and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth has fallen in the public square, and 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 missing, and whoever turns away from evil becomes a prey." "Then the LORD looked, and it displeased him 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, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm brought him victory, and his righteous acts upheld 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 like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury like 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. |
| 18So he will repay according to their action: Anger to his enemies, retribution to his foes; to the coastlands he will render their due. | 18So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and He will repay the coastlands. |
| 19So people will fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glories from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a pent-up stream 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"And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression," 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 covenant with them," says the LORD. "And my Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, won't depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children's children, from now on and forever." | 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. |
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