Isaiah 59:2–13

²But your iniquities^w are separating you

from your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you^x

so that he does not listen.^y

³For your hands are defiled with blood

and your fingers, with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies,

and your tongues mutter injustice.

⁴No one makes claims justly;

no one pleads honestly.

They trust in empty and worthless words;

they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.^z

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 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 run after evil,^aa

and they rush to shed innocent blood.^ab

Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;^ac

ruin and wretchedness are in their paths.

⁸They have not known the path of peace,^ad

and there is no justice in their ways.

They have made their roads crooked;

no one who walks on them will know peace.^a

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.

¹⁰We grope along a wall like the blind;

we grope like those without eyes.^b

We stumble at noon as though it were twilight;

we are like the dead among those who are healthy.

¹¹We all growl like bears

and moan like doves.^c

We hope for justice, but there is none;

for salvation, but it is far from us.

¹²For our transgressions have multiplied before you,^d

and our sins testify against us.^e

For our transgressions are with us,

and we know our iniquities:^f

¹³transgression and deception against the Lord,

turning away from following our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.