Sin Separates Us from God
(Psalm 14:1–7; Psalm 53:1–6; Romans 3:9–20)

1Behold, the hand of YHWH is not shortened from saving,

and his ear is not heavy from hearing.

2For but your⁺ iniquities that have been causing separation

for you⁺ from your⁺ God,

and your⁺ sins have hidden the Face from you⁺,

away from hearing.

3For your⁺ hands are defiled with blood,

and your⁺ fingers with iniquity;

your⁺ lips have spoken falsehood;

your⁺ tongue mutters injustice.

4No one calls for justice,

and no one pleads his case in truth,

trusting in emptiness, and speaking vanity,

conceiving trouble, and birthing iniquity.

5They have hatched eggs of a viper,

and they weave the web of a spider;

the one eating of their eggs dies,

and from the crushed one breaks out a viper!

6Their webs will not become garments,

and they cannot cover themselves with their works;

their works are works of iniquity,

and a deed of violence is in their hands.

7Their feet run to evil,

and they hurry to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity—

ruin and destruction† are in their paths!

8The way of peace they have not known,†

and no justice is in their tracks;

their paths they have made crooked for themselves—

everyone treading on it has not known peace.

9Upon thus justice is far from us

and righteousness does not reach us;

we wait for the light, and behold, darkness;

for brightness—in the darkness we walk.

10We grope like the blind along the wall,

and as without eyes we grope;

we stumble in the noonday as in the twilight,

among the strong as the dead.

11We growl like bears—all of us,

and we moan mournfully like doves;

we wait for justice, and there is none;

for salvation—it is far from us.

12For our transgressions are many before You,

and our sins testify against us;

for our transgressions are with us,

and our iniquities, and we know:

13Breaking faith and being false with YHWH,

and removing ourselves from following our God;

speaking words of oppression and revolt,

conceiving and musing from the heart words of deception.

14And justice is driven back,

and righteousness stands afar off;

for truth has stumbled in the plaza,

and straightness is not able to enter.

15And the truth is missing,

and the one turning away from evil makes himself plunder.

And YHWH saw it, and it was evil in His eyes

that there was no justice.

16And He saw that there was no man

and He was astonished that there was no one interceding,

and His own arm brought salvation for Him,

and His own righteousness, it upheld him.

17And He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and a helmet of salvation on His head;

and He put on the garments of vengeance as clothing,

and wrapped himself in a cloak of zeal.

The Covenant of the Redeemer

18According to the dealings, accordingly He will repay—

wrath for His adversaries,

recompense for His enemies;

for the islands He will repay recompense.†

19And will they fear from the west

the name of YHWH,

and from the rising of the sun His glory.

For He will come like a torrent being pressed,

as the Spirit of YHWH drives it along.†

20“And He will come to Zion as One redeeming,

and for those turning back from transgression in Jacob,†

a declaration of YHWH.

21“And Me, this is My covenant with them,†” says YHWH. “My Spirit who is upon you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, they will not depart from your mouth and from the mouth of your seed, and from the mouth of the seed of your seed, says YHWH, from now and even to forever.”