Bilingual reading

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; nor his ear dull, that it can’t hear.

But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies. Your tongue mutters wickedness.

No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies. They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web. He who eats of their eggs dies; and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper.

Their webs won’t become garments. They won’t cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and acts of violence are in their hands.

Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Desolation and destruction are in their paths.

They don’t know the way of peace; and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes in them doesn’t know peace.

Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.

We grope for the wall like the blind. Yes, we grope as those who have no eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were twilight. Among those who are strong, we are like dead men.

We all roar like bears and moan sadly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far off from us.

For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:

transgressing and denying the LORD, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter.

Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness sustained him.

He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle.

According to their deeds, he will repay as appropriate: wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies. He will repay the islands their due.

So they will fear the LORD’s name from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the LORD’s breath drives.

“A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from disobedience in Jacob,” says the LORD.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now on and forever.”

يَدُ الرَّبِّ لا تَقصُرُ عنِ الخَلاص وأُذُنُه لا تَثقُلُ عن السَّماع

لٰكِنَّ آثامَكم فَرَّقَت بَينَكم وبَينَ إِلٰهِكم وخَطاياكم حَجَبَت وَجهَه عنكم فلا يَسمَع

لِأَنَّ أَكُفَّكم تَلَطَّخَت بِالدَّم وأَصابِعَكم بِالإِثْم وشِفاهَكم نَطَقَت بِالكَذِب وأَلسِنَتَكم تمتَمَت بِالإِثْم

لَيسَ مِن مُدَّعٍ بِالبِرّ ولا مُحاكِمٍ بِالصِّدْق. يَتَّكِلونَ على الخَواءِ ويَنطِقونَ بِالباطِل يَحبَلونَ بِالظُّلمِ ويَلِدونَ الإِثْم

يَنقُفونَ بَيضَ الحَيَّات ويَنسِجونَ خُيوطَ العَنْكَبوت. وبَيضُهم مَن أَكَلَ مِنه يَموت وما كُسِرَ مِنه يَنشَقُّ عن أَفْعى

خُيوطُهم لا تَصيرُ ثَوبًا ولا يَكتَسونَ بِأَعْمالِهم لِأَنَّ أَعْمالَهم أَعْمالُ إِثْم وفِعْلَ العُنْفِ في أَكُفِّهم

أَرجُلُهم تَسْعى إِلى الشَّرّ وتُسارِعُ إِلى سَفكِ الدَّمِ البَريء. أَفْكارُهم أَفْكارُ الإِثْم وفي مَسالِكِهم دَمارٌ وتَحْطيم

لم يَعرِفوا طَريقَ السَّلام ولا حَقَّ في سُبُلِهم. قد جَعَلوا دُروبَهم مُعوَجَّة كُلُّ مَن سَلَكها لا يَعرِفُ السَّلام

لِذٰلك ٱبتَعَدَ الحَقُّ عَنَّا ولم يُدرِكْنا البِرّ. نَتَرَقَّبُ النُّورَ فإِذا بِالظَّلام والضِّياءَ فإِذا بِنا سائِرون في الدَّيجور

نَتَجَسَّسُ الحائِطَ كالعُمْيان وكَمَن لا عَيْنَيْن لَه نَتَجَسَّس. نَعْثُرُ في الظَّهيرَةِ كما في العَتمَة ونَحنُ بَينَ الأَصِحَّاءِ كأَنَّنا أَمْوات

نَزأَرُ كُلُّنا كالأَدْباب ونَنوحُ كالحَمام. نَتَرَقَّبُ الحَقَّ ولا يَكون والخَلاصَ وقدِ ٱبتَعَدَ عنَّا

لِأَنَّ مَعاصِيَنا قد كَثُرَت تُجاهَكَ وخَطايانا شاهِدَةٌ علَينا لِأَنَّ مَعاصِيَنا معَنا وآثامَنا قد عَرَفْناها

العِصْيانَ والكَذِبَ على الرَّبّ والِٱرتِدادَ مِن وَراءِ إِلٰهِنا والنُّطقَ بِالظُّلمِ والتَّمَرُّد والحَبَلَ بِكَلامِ الكَذِب والتَّمتَمَةَ بِه في القَلْب

فٱرتَدَّ الحُكمُ إِلى الوَراء ووَقَفَ البِرُّ بَعيدًا لِأَنَّ الحَقَّ عَثَرَ في السَّاحة والِٱستِقامَةَ لم تَقدِرْ على الدُّخول

وصارَ الحَقُّ مَفْقودًا والمُعرِضُ عن الشَّرِّ مَسْلوبًا. وقد رأَى الرَّبُّ فساءَ في عَينَيه أَن لا يَكونَ حُكمٌ هُناكَ

ورأى أَنَّه لَيسَ هُناكَ إِنْسان ودَهِشَ أَن لا يَتَدَخَّلَ أَحَد فذِراعُه هي أَنجَدَته وبِرُّه هو أَيَّدَه

فلَبِسَ البِرَّ كدِرْع وخَوذَةَ الخَلاصِ على رَأسِه وٱرتَدَى ثِيابَ الِٱنتِقامِ لِباسًا وتَجَلبَبَ بِالغَيرَةِ رِداءً

على حَسَبِ الأَعمالِ هٰكذا يَجْزي: فالغَضَبُ بخُصومِه والِٱنتِقامُ لِأَعْدائِه ويَجْزي الجُزُرَ الِٱنتِقام

فيَخشَونَ مِنَ المَغرِبِ ٱسمَ الرَّبّ ومِن مَشرِقِ الشَّمسِ مَجدَه فإِنَّه يَأتي كنهْرٍ مُنحَصِر تَدفَعُه ريحُ الرَّبّ

ويَأتي الفادي إِلى صِهْيون وإِلى الرَّاجِعينَ عنِ المَعصِيَةِ مِن يَعْقوب يَقولُ الرَّبّ

وأَنا فهٰذا عَهْدي معَهم، قالَ الرَّبّ: روحي الَّذي علَيكَ وكَلامِيَ الَّذي جَعَلتُه في فَمِكَ لا يَزولُ مِن فَمِكَ، ولا مِن فَمِ نَسلِكَ، ولا مِن فَمِ نَسْلِ نَسلِكَ، قالَ الرَّبُّ مِنَ الآنَ ولِلأَبَد