Study Desk

Behold, ^(a)the Lord's hand is not so short That it cannot save; ^(b)Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.

But your ^(c)iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His ^[a]face from you so that He does ^(d)not hear.

For your ^(e)hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken ^(f)falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.

^(g)No one sues righteously and ^(h)no one pleads ^[b]honestly. They ⁽ⁱ⁾trust in confusion and speak lies; They ^(j)conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch adders' eggs and ^(k)weave the spider's web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.

Their webs will not become clothing, Nor will they ^(l)cover themselves with their works; Their ^(m)works are works of iniquity, And an ⁽ⁿ⁾act of violence is in their ^[c]hands.

^(o)Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; ^(p)Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

They do not know the ^(q)way of peace, And there is ^(r)no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, ^(s)Whoever treads on ^[d]them does not know peace.

Therefore ^(t)justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We ^(u)hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom.

We ^(v)grope along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We ^(w)stumble at midday as in the twilight, Among those who are vigorous we are ^(x)like dead men.

All of us growl like bears, And ^(y)moan sadly like doves; We hope for ^(z)justice, but there is none, For salvation, but it is far from us.

For our ^(aa)transgressions are multiplied before You, And our ^(ab)sins ^[e]testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And ^[f]we know our iniquities:

Transgressing and ^(ac)denying the Lord , And turning away from our God, Speaking ^(ad)oppression and revolt, Conceiving in and ^(ae)uttering from the heart lying words.

^(af)Justice is turned back, And ^(ag)righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.

Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil ^(ah)makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, And it was ^[g]displeasing in His sight ^(ai)that there was no justice.

And He saw that there was ^(aj)no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His ^(ak)own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.

He put on ^(al)righteousness like a breastplate, And a ^(am)helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on ^(an)garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with ^(ao)zeal as a mantle.

^(ap)According to their ^[h]deeds, ^[i]so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will ^[j]make recompense.

So they will fear the name of the Lord from the ^(aq)west And His glory from the ^(ar)rising of the sun, For He will ^(as)come like a ^[k]rushing stream Which the wind of the Lord drives.

"A ^(at)Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who ^(au)turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the Lord .

"As for Me, this is My ^(av)covenant with them," says the Lord : "My ^(aw)Spirit which is upon you, and My ^(ax)words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your ^[l]offspring, nor from the mouth of your ^[m]offspring's offspring," says the Lord , "from now and forever."