⁴ Woe to the sinful nation,
    a people whose guilt is great,^(A)
a brood of evildoers,^(B)
    children given to corruption!^(C)
They have forsaken^(D) the Lord;
    they have spurned the Holy One^(E) of Israel
    and turned their backs^(F) on him.

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes^(A)
    and clever in their own sight.

¹⁵ You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,^(A)
    with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(B)
    it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie^(C) our refuge
    and falsehood^[a] our hiding place.^(D)”

¹⁵ Woe to those who go to great depths
    to hide^(A) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
    “Who sees us?^(B) Who will know?”^(C)