12 You are righteous, Lord,
even when I bring a complaint to you.
But I want to discuss justice with you.
    Why does the way of the wicked prosper,
        while all who are treacherous are at ease?
² You plant them and they take root,
    they grow and bear fruit.
“You are near to us,” they say with their mouths,
    but the truth is that you’re far from their hearts.
³ You know me, Lord.
    You see me and test my thoughts^[a] toward you.
Pull the wicked^[b] out like sheep for slaughter;
    set them apart for the day of butchering.^[c]
4 How long will the land mourn
    and the vegetation of every field dry up?
Because of the wickedness of those who live in it,
    animals and birds are swept away.
        For they say, “He does not see our future.”