<p class="poetry">for the needy are not permanently ignored,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">He says to himself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;God overlooks it;p> <p class="poetry">he does not pay attention;p> <p class="poetry">he never notices.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will pray<n id="1" /> to God, my high ridge:<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Why do you ignore<n id="3" /> me?p> <p class="poetry">Why must I walk around mourning<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">because my enemies oppress me?&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">or violated your covenant with us.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">If we had rejected our God,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and spread out our hands in prayer to another god,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Listen, O princess!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Observe and pay attention!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Forget your homeland<n id="3" /> and your family!<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Carefully consider this, you who reject God!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Otherwise I will rip you to shreds<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and no one will be able to rescue you.p>

<p class="poetry">Do not strike them dead suddenly,p> <p class="poetry">because then my people might forget the lesson.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,p> <p class="poetry">O Lord who shields us!<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Do not hand the life of your dove<n id="1" /> over to a wild animal!p> <p class="poetry">Do not continue to disregard<n id="2" /> the lives of your oppressed people!p>

<p class="poetry">Has God forgotten to be merciful?p> <p class="poetry">Has his anger stifled his compassion?&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Then they will place their confidence in God.p> <p class="poetry">They will not forget the works of God,p> <p class="poetry">and they will obey<n id="1" /> his commands.p>

<p class="poetry">My heart is parched<n id="1" /> and withered like grass,p> <p class="poetry">for I am unable<n id="2" /> to eat food.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I have wandered off like a lost sheep.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Come looking for your servant,p> <p class="poetry">for I do not forget your commands.p>

<p class="poetry">Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding;p> <p class="poetry">do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">lest they drink and forget what is decreed,p> <p class="poetry">and remove<n id="1" /> from all the poor<n id="2" /> their legal rights.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Take the harp,p> <p class="poetry">go through the city,p> <p class="poetry">forgotten prostitute!p> <p class="poetry">Play it well,p> <p class="poetry">play lots of songs,p> <p class="poetry">so you&#8217;ll be noticed!&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">This is your fate,p> <p class="poetry">the destiny to which I have appointed you,p> <p class="poetry">because you have forgotten mep> <p class="poetry">and have trusted in false gods.p>

I will bring on you lasting shame and lasting disgrace which will never be forgotten!&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> confirms this oath<n id="1" /> by the arrogance of Jacob:<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I swear<n id="3" /> I will never forget all you have done!<n id="4" />p>

Now if you forget the <sc>Lordsc> your God at all<n id="1" /> and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated.