"IfI should washmyself with snowAnd cleansemy handswith lye,
"Ifmy stephas turnedfrom the way,Or my heartfollowedmy eyes,Or if any spothas stuckto my hands,
"For you say,Whatadvantagewill it be to You? Whatprofitwill I have, morethanif I had sinned?'
YetYou would plungeme into the pit,And my own clotheswould abhorme.
I shall washmy handsin innocence,And I will goaboutYour altar,O LORD,
HideYour facefrom my sinsAnd blotout allmy iniquities.
He who concealshis transgressionswill not prosper,But he who confessesand forsakes[them] will findcompassion.
"Althoughyou washyourself with lyeAnd usemuchsoap,The stainof your iniquityis beforeMe," declaresthe LordGOD.
Washyour heartfrom evil,O Jerusalem,That you may be saved.Howlongwill your wickedthoughtsLodgewithinyou?
For not knowingabout God'srighteousnessand seekingto establishtheir own,they did not subjectthemselves to the righteousnessof God.
Ifwe saythat we havenosin,we are deceivingourselvesand the truthis not in us.
