Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants&#8217; claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve.<n id="1" />p>

listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants&#8217; claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">May the godly strike me in love and correct me!p> <p class="poetry">May my head not refuse<n id="1" /> choice oil!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Free me<n id="1" /> from prison,p> <p class="poetry">that I may give thanks to your name.p> <p class="poetry">Because of me the godly will assemble,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for you will vindicate me.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I thought to myself, &#8220;God will judge both the righteous and the wicked;p> <p class="poetry">for there is an appropriate time for every activity,p> <p class="poetry">and there is a time of judgment<n id="1" /> for every deed. p>

<t /><p class="poetry">During the days of my fleeting life<n id="1" /> I have seen both<n id="2" /> of these things:p> <p class="poetry">Sometimes<n id="3" /> a righteous person dies prematurely<n id="4" /> in spite of<n id="5" /> his righteousness,p> <p class="poetry">and sometimes<n id="6" /> a wicked person lives long<n id="7" /> in spite of his evil deeds.p>

<p class="poetry">From the ends of the earth we<n id="1" /> hear songs &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">the Just One is majestic.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">But I<n id="3" /> say, &#8220;I&#8217;m wasting away! I&#8217;m wasting away! I&#8217;m doomed!p> <p class="poetry">Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?p> <p class="poetry">Who announced it<n id="1" /> ahead of time, so we could say, &#8216;He&#8217;s correct&#8217;?p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, none of them decreed it!p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, none of them announced it!p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, no one heard you say anything!p>

<p class="poetry"><sc>Lordsc>, you have always been fairp> <p class="poetry">whenever I have complained to you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Why are wicked people successful?<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?p>

<p class="poetry">O <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all,<n id="1" /> you test and prove the righteous.p> <p class="poetry">You see into people&#8217;s hearts and minds.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Pay them back for what they have donep> <p class="poetry">because I trust you to vindicate my cause.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I, the <sc>Lordsc>, promise<n id="1" /> that a new time will certainly come<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">when I will raise up for them a righteous branch,<n id="3" /> a descendant of David.p> <p class="poetry">He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and will do what is just and right in the land.<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="lamhebrew">&#1510; (<i>Tsadei>)p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> is right to judge me!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Yes, I rebelled against his commands.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Please listen, all you nations,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and look at my suffering!p> <p class="poetry">My young women and menp> <p class="poetry">have gone into exile.p>

This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.

and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out.<n id="1" /> That man<n id="2" /> is righteous; he will certainly live,<n id="3" /> declares the sovereign <sc>Lordsc>.p>

and say to them,<n id="1" /> &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: Look,<n id="2" /> I am against you.<n id="3" /> I will draw my sword<n id="4" /> from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.<n id="5" />

Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone<n id="1" /> from the south<n id="2" /> to the north.

But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed,<n id="1" /> because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.p>

The <sc>LORDsc> was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the <sc>LORDsc> our God is just<n id="1" /> in all he has done,<n id="2" /> and we have not obeyed him.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Who is wise?p> <p class="poetry">Let him discern<n id="1" /> these things!p> <p class="poetry">Who is discerning?p> <p class="poetry">Let him understand them!p> <p class="poetry">For the ways of the <sc>Lordsc> are right;p> <p class="poetry">the godly walk in them,p> <p class="bodytext">but in them the rebellious stumble.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">make that four!<n id="2" /> &#8211; I will not revoke my decree of judgment.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They sold the innocent<n id="4" /> for silver,p> <p class="poetry">the needy for a pair of sandals.<n id="5" />p>