⁴ No one brings suit justly;
    no one goes to law honestly;
they rely on empty pleas; they speak lies,
    conceiving mischief and bearing iniquity.^(A)

³⁵ They conceive mischief and bring forth evil,
    and their belly prepares deceit.”^(A)

² The faithful have disappeared from the land,
    and there is no one left who is upright;
they all lie in wait for blood,
    and they hunt each other with nets.^(A)
3 Their hands are skilled to do evil;
    the official and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the powerful dictate what they desire;
    thus they pervert justice.^[a](B)
4 The best of them is like a brier,
    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of their^[b] sentinels, of their^[c] punishment, has come;
    now their confusion is at hand.^(C)
5 Put no trust in a friend;
    have no confidence in a loved one;
guard the doors of your mouth
    from her who lies in your embrace,

2 Woe to those who devise wickedness
    and evil deeds^[a] on their beds!
When the morning dawns, they perform it,
    because it is in their power.^(A)

¹² Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
Because you reject this word
    and put your trust in oppression and deceit
    and rely on them,^(A)

¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.^(A)