Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope;

That say, "Let Him make speed [and] hasten His work, That we may see [it;] And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, That we may know [it."]

Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves."

Also I will make justice the measuring line, And righteousness the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, And the waters will overflow the hiding place.

"Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;

And you say, 'What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness?

Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.'

He has said in his heart, "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see."

Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require [an account."]

They encourage themselves [in] an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who will see them?"

They devise iniquities: "We have perfected a shrewd scheme." Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known [me.]

You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.

You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.' "

Then He said to me, "The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah [is] exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!'

"And it shall come to pass at that time [That] I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, 'The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.'

"I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

" There are those who rebel against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths.

The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye will see me'; And he disguises [his] face.

For the morning is the same to them as the shadow of death; If [someone] recognizes [them,] [They are in] the terrors of the shadow of death.

There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first [of all,] "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

"Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

"For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, 'No one sees me'; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, 'I [am,] and [there is] no one else besides me.'

Indeed, they belch with their mouth; Swords [are] in their lips; For [they say,] "Who hears?"

And they say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?"

Yet they say, "The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand."

He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

You have wearied the LORD with your words; Yet you say, "In what way have we wearied [Him?"] In that you say, "Everyone who does evil [Is] good in the sight of the LORD, And He delights in them," Or, "Where [is] the God of justice?"