Perhaps the Lord will notice my affliction and this day grant me good in place of his curse.”

Let its morning stars be darkened; let it wait for daylight but find none, nor let it see the first rays of dawn,

For he looks to the ends of the earth and observes everything under the heavens.

It looks on every haughty being; it is king over all that are proud.”

Surely one sees that even wise people die; fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away and leave their wealth to others.

They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. They plan how to hide snares, and boast, “Who will see them?”

They are sustained as they travel along; each one appears before God in Zion.

No man can live on without experiencing death, or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah)

When the wicked see this, they will worry; they will grind their teeth in frustration and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish.

For this is what the sovereign master has told me: “Go, post a guard! He must report what he sees.

If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.

Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. “My servant will acquit many, for he carried their sins.

The men feared the Lord greatly, and earnestly vowed to offer lavish sacrifices to the Lord.

Listen! The Lord is calling to the city! It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city!

Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him empty-handed.

But if the priest examines it and the infection has not spread in the garment or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of leather,

“Not a single person of this evil generation will see the good land that I promised to give to your ancestors!

There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning.

The Lord will judge his people, and will change his plans concerning his servants; when he sees that their power has disappeared, and that no one is left, whether confined or set free.

God chose new leaders, then fighters appeared in the city gates; but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, among forty military units in Israel.