<p class="poetry">The one who says to the guilty,<n id="1" /> &#8220;You are innocent,&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce<n id="3" /> him.p>

<p class="poetry">Like a muddied<n id="1" /> spring and a polluted<n id="2" /> well,p> <p class="poetry">so is a righteous person who gives way<n id="3" /> before the wicked.p>

<p class="poetry">The wicked person flees when there is no one pursuing,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but the righteous person is as confident<n id="2" /> as a lion.p>

<p class="poetry">When the righteous rejoice,<n id="1" /> great is the glory,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">but when the wicked rise to power, people are sought out.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">When the wicked gain control,<n id="1" /> people<n id="2" /> hide themselves,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">but when they perish,<n id="4" /> the righteous increase.p>

<p class="poetry">When the righteous become numerous,<n id="1" /> the people rejoice;p> <p class="poetry">when the wicked rule, the people groan.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">In the transgression of an evil person there is a snare,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but a righteous person can sing<n id="2" /> and rejoice.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The righteous person cares for<n id="1" /> the legal rights<n id="2" /> of the poor;p> <p class="poetry">the wicked does not understand such<n id="3" /> knowledge.p>

<p class="poetry">When the wicked increase,<n id="1" /> transgression increases,p> <p class="poetry">but the righteous will see<n id="2" /> their downfall.p>

<p class="poetry">An unjust person is an abomination to the righteous,p> <p class="poetry">and the one who lives an upright life is an abomination to the wicked.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Tell the innocent<n id="1" /> it will go well with them,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for they will be rewarded for what they have done.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,p> <p class="poetry">they ignore the just cause of the innocent.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">one that remains trustworthy.p>

<p class="poetry">Can spoils be taken from a warrior,p> <p class="poetry">or captives be rescued from a conqueror?<n id="1" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1502; (<i>Memi>)p> <p class="poetry">But it happened<n id="1" /> due to the sins of her prophets<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and the iniquities of her priests,p> <p class="poetry">who poured out in her midstp> <p class="poetry">the blood of the righteous.p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right,

When a righteous man turns from his godliness and commits iniquity, he will die for it.

<p class="bodytext">Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, &#8220;Lord,<n id="1" /> would you really slaughter an innocent nation?<n id="2" />

Keep your distance<n id="1" /> from a false charge<n id="2" /> &#8211; do not kill the innocent and the righteous,<n id="3" /> for I will not justify the wicked.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see<n id="1" /> and subverts the words of the righteous.p>