Sin Separates Us from God (Psalm 14:1–7; Psalm 53:1–6; Romans 3:9–20)
1 Brenton Has the hand of the Lord no power to save? or has he made his ear heavy, so that he should not hear? BSB BSB: Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
2 Brenton Nay, your iniquities separate between you and God, and because of your sins has he turned away his face from you, so as not to have mercy upon you . BSB BSB: But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.
3 Brenton For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with sins; your lips also have spoken iniquity, and your tongue meditates unrighteousness. BSB BSB: For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice.
4 Brenton None speaks justly, neither is there true judgment: they trust in vanities, and speak empty words ; for they conceive trouble, and bring forth iniquity. BSB BSB: No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 Brenton They have hatched asps' eggs, and weave a spider's web: and he that is going to eat of their eggs, having crushed an addled egg, has found also in it a basilisk. BSB BSB: They hatch the eggs of vipers and weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched.
6 Brenton Their web shall not become a garment, nor shall they at all clothe themselves with their works; for their works are works of iniquity. BSB BSB: Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7 Brenton And their feet run to wickedness, swift to shed blood; their thoughts also are thoughts of murder; destruction and misery are in their ways; BSB BSB: Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
8 Brenton and the way of peace they know not, neither is there judgment in their ways; for their paths by which they go are crooked, and they know not peace. BSB BSB: The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have turned them into crooked paths; no one who treads on them will know peace.
9 Brenton Therefore has judgment departed from them, and righteousness shall not overtake them: while they waited for light, darkness came upon them; while they waited for brightness, they walked in perplexity. BSB BSB: Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 Brenton They shall feel for the wall as blind men , and shall feel for it as if they had no eyes: and they shall feel at noon-day as at midnight; they shall groan as dying men. BSB BSB: Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.
11 Brenton They shall proceed together as a bear and as a dove: we have waited for judgment, and there is no salvation, it is gone far from us. BSB BSB: We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 Brenton For our iniquity is great before thee, and our sins have risen up against us: for our iniquities are in us, and we know our unrighteous deeds. BSB BSB: For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions are indeed with us, and we know our iniquities:
13 Brenton We have sinned, and dealt falsely, and revolted from our God: we have spoken unrighteous words, and have been disobedient; we have conceived and uttered from our heart unrighteous words. BSB BSB: rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
14 Brenton And we have turned judgment back, and righteousness has departed afar off: for truth is consumed in their ways, and they could not pass by a straight path . BSB BSB: So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.
15 Brenton And truth has been taken away, and they have turned aside their mind from understanding. And the Lord saw it, and it pleased him not that there was no judgment. BSB BSB: Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
16 Brenton And he looked, and there was no man, and he observed, and there was none to help: so he defended them with his arm, and stablished them with his mercy. BSB BSB: He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
17 Brenton And he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and placed the helmet of salvation on his head; and he clothed himself with the garment of vengeance, and with his cloak, BSB BSB: He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.
The Covenant of the Redeemer 18 Brenton as one about to render a recompence, even reproach to his adversaries. BSB BSB: So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and recompense to the islands.
19 Brenton So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they that come from the rising of the sun his glorious name: for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury. BSB BSB: So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.
20 Brenton And the deliverer shall come for Sion's sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. BSB BSB: “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD.
21 Brenton And this shall be my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon thee, and the words which I have put in thy mouth, shall never fail from thy mouth, nor from the mouth of thy seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and for ever. BSB BSB: “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren, from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.