(Psalm 14:1–7; Psalm 53:1–6; Romans 3:9–20)
1
Behold, the hand of YHWH || Has not been shortened from saving, || Nor His ear heavy from hearing.
2
But your iniquities have been separating || Between you and your God, || And your sins have hidden || The Presence from you—from hearing.
3
For your hands have been defiled with blood, || And your fingers with iniquity, || Your lips have spoken falsehood, || Your tongue mutters perverseness.
4
There is none calling in righteousness, || And there is none pleading in faithfulness, || Trusting on emptiness, and speaking falsehood, || Conceiving perverseness, and bearing iniquity.
5
They have hatched eggs of a viper, || And weave webs of a spider, || Whoever is eating their eggs dies, and the crushed hatches a viper.
6
Their webs do not become a garment, || Nor do they cover themselves with their works, || Their works [are] works of iniquity, || And a deed of violence [is] in their hands.
7
Their feet run to evil, || And they hurry to shed innocent blood, || Their thoughts [are] thoughts of iniquity, || Spoiling and destruction [are] in their highways.
8
They have not known a way of peace, || And there is no judgment in their paths, || They have made their paths perverse for themselves, || None treading in it has known peace.
9
Therefore judgment has been far from us, || And righteousness does not reach us, || We wait for light, and behold, darkness, || For brightness—in thick darkness we go,
10
We feel [for] the wall like the blind, || Indeed, we feel as without eyes, || We have stumbled at noon as at twilight, || In desolate places as the dead.
11
We make a noise as bears—all of us, || And we coo severely as doves; We wait for judgment, and there is none, || For salvation—it has been far from us.
12
For our transgressions have been multiplied before You, || And our sins have testified against us, || For our transgressions [are] with us, || And our iniquities—we have known them.
13
Transgressing, and lying against YHWH, || And removing from after our God, || Speaking oppression and apostasy, || Conceiving and uttering from the heart || Words of falsehood.
14
And judgment is removed backward, || And righteousness stands far off, || For truth has been feeble in the street, || And straightforwardness is not able to enter,
15
And the truth is lacking, || And whoever is turning aside from evil, || Is making himself a spoil. And YHWH sees, and it is evil in His eyes, || That there is no judgment.
16
And He sees that there is no man, || And is astonished that there is no intercessor, || And His own arm gives salvation to Him, || And His righteousness—it sustained Him.
17
And He puts on righteousness as a breastplate, || And a helmet of salvation on His head, || And He puts on garments of vengeance [for] clothing, || And is covered, as [with] an upper-robe, [with] zeal.
The Covenant of the Redeemer
18
According to deeds—so He repays. Fury to His adversaries, [their] deed to His enemies, || To the islands He repays [their] deed.
19
And from the west they fear the Name of YHWH, || And from the rising of the sun—His glory, || When an adversary comes in as a flood, || The Spirit of YHWH has raised an ensign against him.
20
“And the Redeemer has come to Zion, || Even to captives of transgression in Jacob,” || A declaration of YHWH.
21
“And I—this [is] My covenant with them,” said YHWH, “My Spirit that [is] on you, || And My words that I have put in your mouth, || Do not depart from your mouth, || And from the mouth of your seed, || And from the mouth of your seed’s seed,” said YHWH, “From now on, even for all time!”
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