⁹ Then you will understand^(K) what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,^(L)
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.^(M)

¹² Wisdom will save^(N) you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
¹³ who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,^(O)
14 who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,^(P)
15 whose paths are crooked^(Q)
    and who are devious in their ways.^(R)

¹⁶ Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,^(S)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
¹⁷ who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.^[a](T)
18 Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.^(U)
19 None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.^(V)

²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will live in the land,^(W)
    and the blameless will remain in it;
²² but the wicked^(X) will be cut off from the land,^(Y)
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.^(Z)

⁴ The One enthroned^(F) in heaven laughs;^(G)
    the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger^(H)
    and terrifies them in his wrath,^(I) saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king^(J)
    on Zion,^(K) my holy mountain.^(L)”

He said to me, “You are my son;^(M)
    today I have become your father.^(N)
8 Ask me,
    and I will make the nations^(O) your inheritance,^(P)
    the ends of the earth^(Q) your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron^[b];^(R)
    you will dash them to pieces^(S) like pottery.^(T)”

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;^(U)
    be warned, you rulers^(V) of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear^(W)
    and celebrate his rule^(X) with trembling.^(Y)
12 Kiss his son,^(Z) or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath^(AA) can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed^(AB) are all who take refuge^(AC) in him.

³ For my days vanish like smoke;^(E)
    my bones^(F) burn like glowing embers.
⁴ My heart is blighted and withered like grass;^(G)
    I forget to eat my food.^(H)
5 In my distress I groan aloud^(I)
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
⁶ I am like a desert owl,^(J)
    like an owl among the ruins.
⁷ I lie awake;^(K) I have become
    like a bird alone^(L) on a roof.
⁸ All day long my enemies^(M) taunt me;^(N)
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.^(O)
9 For I eat ashes^(P) as my food
    and mingle my drink with tears^(Q)
10 because of your great wrath,^(R)
    for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
¹¹ My days are like the evening shadow;^(S)
    I wither^(T) away like grass.

¹² But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;^(U)
    your renown endures^(V) through all generations.^(W)
13 You will arise^(X) and have compassion^(Y) on Zion,
    for it is time^(Z) to show favor^(AA) to her;
    the appointed time^(AB) has come.
¹⁴ For her stones are dear to your servants;
    her very dust moves them to pity.
¹⁵ The nations will fear^(AC) the name of the Lord,
    all the kings^(AD) of the earth will revere your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord will rebuild Zion^(AE)
    and appear in his glory.^(AF)
17 He will respond to the prayer^(AG) of the destitute;
    he will not despise their plea.

¹⁸ Let this be written^(AH) for a future generation,
    that a people not yet created^(AI) may praise the Lord:
¹⁹ “The Lord looked down^(AJ) from his sanctuary on high,
    from heaven he viewed the earth,
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners^(AK)
    and release those condemned to death.”
²¹ So the name of the Lord will be declared^(AL) in Zion
    and his praise^(AM) in Jerusalem
²² when the peoples and the kingdoms
    assemble to worship^(AN) the Lord.

²³ In the course of my life^[b] he broke my strength;
    he cut short my days.^(AO)
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
    your years go on^(AP) through all generations.
²⁵ In the beginning^(AQ) you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens^(AR) are the work of your hands.^(AS)
26 They will perish,^(AT) but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
    and they will be discarded.
²⁷ But you remain the same,^(AU)
    and your years will never end.^(AV)
28 The children of your servants^(AW) will live in your presence;
    their descendants^(AX) will be established before you.”

³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the afflicted^(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;^(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.^(E)
5 May he endure^[a](F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.^(G)
6 May he be like rain^(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish^(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River^[b](J) to the ends of the earth.^(K)
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish^(L) and of distant shores^(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba^(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.^(O)
11 May all kings bow down^(P) to him
    and all nations serve^(Q) him.

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity^(R) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
¹⁴ He will rescue^(S) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious^(T) is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba^(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.^(V)
16 May grain^(W) abound throughout the land;
    on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops^(X) flourish like Lebanon^(Y)
    and thrive^[c] like the grass of the field.^(Z)
17 May his name endure forever;^(AA)
    may it continue as long as the sun.^(AB)

Then all nations will be blessed through him,^[d]
    and they will call him blessed.^(AC)

¹⁸ Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,^(AD)
    who alone does marvelous deeds.^(AE)
19 Praise be to his glorious name^(AF) forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory.^(AG)
Amen and Amen.^(AH)

²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.^(AI)

³ “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.^(AH)
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?^(AI)
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?^(AJ)
5 Now I will tell you
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
    and it will be destroyed;^(AK)
I will break down its wall,^(AL)
    and it will be trampled.^(AM)
6 I will make it a wasteland,^(AN)
    neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns^(AO) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain^(AP) on it.”

⁷ The vineyard^(AQ) of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,^(AR) but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness,^(AS) but heard cries of distress.^(AT)

“Surely the great houses will become desolate,^(AY)
    the fine mansions left without occupants.
¹⁰ A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath^[d] of wine;
    a homer^[e] of seed will yield only an ephah^[f] of grain.”^(AZ)

¹¹ Woe^(BA) to those who rise early in the morning
    to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
    till they are inflamed with wine.^(BB)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
    pipes^(BC) and timbrels^(BD) and wine,
but they have no regard^(BE) for the deeds of the Lord,
    no respect for the work of his hands.^(BF)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile^(BG)
    for lack of understanding;^(BH)
those of high rank^(BI) will die of hunger
    and the common people will be parched with thirst.^(BJ)
14 Therefore Death^(BK) expands its jaws,
    opening wide its mouth;^(BL)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
    with all their brawlers and revelers.^(BM)
15 So people will be brought low^(BN)
    and everyone humbled,^(BO)
    the eyes of the arrogant^(BP) humbled.
¹⁶ But the Lord Almighty will be exalted^(BQ) by his justice,^(BR)
    and the holy God will be proved holy^(BS) by his righteous acts.
¹⁷ Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;^(BT)
    lambs will feed^[g] among the ruins of the rich.

¹⁸ Woe^(BU) to those who draw sin along with cords^(BV) of deceit,
    and wickedness^(BW) as with cart ropes,
¹⁹ to those who say, “Let God hurry;
    let him hasten^(BX) his work
    so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One^(BY) of Israel—
    let it approach, let it come into view,
    so we may know it.”^(BZ)

²⁰ Woe^(CA) to those who call evil good^(CB)
    and good evil,^(CC)
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,^(CD)
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.^(CE)

²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes^(CF)
    and clever in their own sight.

²² Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine^(CG)
    and champions at mixing drinks,^(CH)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,^(CI)
    but deny justice^(CJ) to the innocent.^(CK)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire^(CL) lick up straw^(CM)
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay^(CN)
    and their flowers blow away like dust;^(CO)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
    and spurned the word^(CP) of the Holy One^(CQ) of Israel.
²⁵ Therefore the Lord’s anger^(CR) burns against his people;
    his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,^(CS)
    and the dead bodies^(CT) are like refuse^(CU) in the streets.^(CV)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,^(CW)
    his hand is still upraised.^(CX)

²⁶ He lifts up a banner^(CY) for the distant nations,
    he whistles^(CZ) for those at the ends of the earth.^(DA)
Here they come,
    swiftly and speedily!
²⁷ Not one of them grows tired^(DB) or stumbles,
    not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt^(DC) is loosened at the waist,^(DD)
    not a sandal strap is broken.^(DE)
28 Their arrows are sharp,^(DF)
    all their bows^(DG) are strung;
their horses’ hooves^(DH) seem like flint,
    their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.^(DI)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,^(DJ)
    they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize^(DK) their prey
    and carry it off with no one to rescue.^(DL)
30 In that day^(DM) they will roar over it
    like the roaring of the sea.^(DN)
And if one looks at the land,
    there is only darkness^(DO) and distress;^(DP)
    even the sun will be darkened^(DQ) by clouds.