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13 Your eyes are too pure to look upon wickedness,
    and the sight of evil you cannot endure.
Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence
    while the wicked devour those more just than themselves?
14 You have made mortals like the fish in the sea,
    like creeping things without a leader.
15 He[a] brings them all up with a hook,
    and hauls them away with his net;
He gathers them in his fishing net,
    and then rejoices and exults.
16 Therefore he makes sacrifices to his net,[b]
    and burns incense to his fishing net;
For thanks to them his portion is rich,
    and his meal lavish.
17 Shall they, then, keep on drawing his sword
    to slaughter nations without mercy?

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Footnotes

  1. 1:15 He: the Babylonian king (cf. vv. 6, 13), who easily conquers other nations and treats them as objects for his entertainment and enrichment.
  2. 1:16 He makes sacrifices to his net: the leader attributes victory to the military weapons he wields; he and his weapons have won victory, not any god.

13 Your eyes are too pure(A) to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(B)
Why then do you tolerate(C) the treacherous?(D)
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(E)
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
    like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked(F) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(G)
    he catches them in his net,(H)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense(I) to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
    and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
    destroying nations without mercy?(J)

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