<p class="poetry">An honorable man makes honorable plans;p> <p class="poetry">his honorable character gives him security.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">that he might seat him with princes,p> <p class="poetry">with the princes of his people.p>

<p class="poetry">who says to a king,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Worthless man&#8217;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and to nobles, &#8216;Wicked men,&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">It is better to take shelter in the <sc>Lordsc>p> <p class="poetry">than to trust in princes.p>

<p class="poetry">He pours contempt on noblemenp> <p class="poetry">and disarms<n id="1" /> the powerful.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance!p> <p class="poetry">Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey!<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">He would pour<n id="1" /> contempt upon princes,p> <p class="poetry">and he made them wander in a wasteland with no road.p>

<p class="poetry">Do not trust in princes,p> <p class="poetry">or in human beings, who cannot deliver!<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">by me princes rule,p> <p class="poetry">as well as nobles and<n id="1" /> all righteous judges.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Many people entreat the favor<n id="1" /> of a generous person,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and everyone is the friend<n id="3" /> of the person who gives gifts.<n id="4" />p>

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">I was beside myself with joy!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">There please give me your myrrh,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">O daughter of my princely people.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The well which the princes<n id="1" /> dug,p> <p class="poetry">which the leaders of the people openedp> <p class="poetry">with their scepters and their staffs.&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">And from the wilderness they traveled to Mattanah;

<p class="poetry">For you say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Where now is the nobleman&#8217;s house,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?&#8217;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Excessive<n id="1" /> speech<n id="2" /> is not becoming for a fool;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">how much less are lies<n id="4" /> for a ruler!<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">It is terrible<n id="1" /> to punish<n id="2" /> a righteous person,p> <p class="poetry">and to flog<n id="3" /> honorable men is wrong.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">for it is better for him<n id="1" /> to say to you, &#8220;Come up here,&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">than to put you lower<n id="3" /> before a prince,p> <p class="poetry">whom your eyes have seen.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">A fool will no longer be called honorable;p> <p class="poetry">a deceiver will no longer be called principled.p>

&#8216;Take<n id="1" /> an offering for the <sc>Lordsc>. Let everyone who has a willing heart<n id="2" /> bring<n id="3" /> an offering to the <sc>Lordsc>:<n id="4" /> gold, silver, bronze,

<p class="poetry">The nobles of the nations assemble,p> <p class="poetry">along with the people of the God of Abraham,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for God has authority over the rulers<n id="2" /> of the earth.p> <p class="poetry">He is highly exalted!<n id="3" />p>