<p class="poetry">How long, <sc>Lordsc>, must I cry for help?p> <p class="poetry">But you do not listen!p> <p class="poetry">I call out to you, &#8220;Violence!&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">But you do not intervene!<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry"><sc>Lordsc>, you have been active from ancient times;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">my sovereign God,<n id="2" /> you are immortal.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry"><sc>Lordsc>, you have made them<n id="4" /> your instrument of judgment.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">Protector,<n id="6" /> you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment.<n id="7" />p>

<p class="poetry">For the message is a witness to what is decreed;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Even if the message<n id="3" /> is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">for it will certainly come to pass &#8211; it will not arrive late.p>

<p class="poetry">You made people like fish in the sea,p> <p class="poetry">like animals in the sea<n id="1" /> that have no ruler.p>

<p class="poetry">Will he then<n id="1" /> continue to fill and empty his throw net?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Will he always<n id="3" /> destroy<n id="4" /> nations and spare none?<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but the person of integrity<n id="2" /> will live<n id="3" /> because of his faithfulness.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Your creditors will suddenly attack;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">those who terrify you will spring into action,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and they will rob you.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">His appetite<n id="2" /> is as big as Sheol&#8217;s;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">like death, he is never satisfied.p> <p class="poetry">He gathers<n id="4" /> all the nations;p> <p class="poetry">he seizes<n id="5" /> all peoples.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;But all these nations will someday taunt him<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and ridicule him with proverbial sayings:<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">(How long will this go on?)<n id="4" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he who gets rich by extortion!&#8217;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">When<n id="1" /> the fig tree does not bud,p> <p class="poetry">and there are no grapes on the vines;p> <p class="poetry">when the olive trees do not produce,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and the fields yield no crops;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">when the sheep disappear<n id="4" /> from the pen,p> <p class="poetry">and there are no cattle in the stalls,p>

<p class="poetry">For this reason the law lacks power,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and justice is never carried out.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="3" /> the wicked intimidate<n id="4" /> the innocent.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">For this reason justice is perverted.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;Look at the nations and pay attention!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You will be shocked and amazed!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For I will do something in your lifetime<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">that you will not believe even though you are forewarned.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Look, I am about to empower<n id="1" /> the Babylonians,p> <p class="poetry">that ruthless<n id="2" /> and greedy<n id="3" /> nation.p> <p class="poetry">They sweep across the surface<n id="4" /> of the earth,p> <p class="poetry">seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.p>

<p class="poetry">You are too just<n id="1" /> to tolerate<n id="2" /> evil;p> <p class="poetry">you are unable to condone<n id="3" /> wrongdoing.p> <p class="poetry">So why do you put up with such treacherous people?<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour<n id="5" /> those more righteous than they are?<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Be sure of this! The <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies has decreed:p> <p class="poetry">The nations&#8217; efforts will go up in smoke;p> <p class="poetry">their exhausting work will be for nothing.<n id="1" />p>