We stand before G-d and declare:
I have brought the sacrifice the meal-offering the gift the song the prayer
and yet we bring only emptiness –the echoes within our mind.
This is not drawing close.

And to the question:
Where is your brother, the orphan? Where is your sister, the widow?
–we have turned away.
The hands we raise to G-d are filthy
with the blood of our brother with the blood of our sister.
(this is not prayer. this is the slaughter of our own souls.)

listen, closely, now:
our bloodstained hands
can be washed–yes, even now–
when we are asked:
Where is your brother? Where is your sister?
just in this there is healing: to say, here is my brother beside me
to reach out our hand to our sister.

and I tell you now there is still time–let’s be reasonable.
Support each other, and we will be supported.
Devour each other, and we will be devoured.

How can this be? justice has been sold abused and ravaged.
Our leaders call greed their brother
and say I have no orphan brother.
I have no widow sister.

All of this will come to an end.
Now, we are delirious with the sickness of our soul–
There is no healing from this, we say.
Why turn back? Why change?—this illness is terminal.
Why try anymore?

remember what I told you in the beginning:
This is the vision of Yah’s salvation.
By justice and by righteousness we will return.