1. Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak to deliver you;his ear is not too deaf to hear you.
2. But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.
3. For your hands are stained with bloodand your fingers with sin;your lips speak lies,your tongue utters malicious words.
4. No one is concerned about justice;no one sets forth his case truthfully.They depend on false words and tell lies;they conceive of oppressionand give birth to sin.
5. They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snakeand spin a spider’s web.Whoever eats their eggs will die,a poisonous snake is hatched.
6. Their webs cannot be used for clothing;they cannot cover themselves with what they make.Their deeds are sinful;they commit violent crimes.
7. They are eager to do evil,quick to shed innocent blood.Their thoughts are sinful;they crush and destroy.
8. They are unfamiliar with peace;their deeds are unjust.They use deceitful methods,and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.
9. For this reason deliverance is far from usand salvation does not reach us.We wait for light, but see only darkness;we wait for a bright light, but live in deep darkness.