12 You will be in the right, O Lord,
    when I lay charges against you,
    but let me put my case to you.
Why does the way of the guilty prosper?
    Why do all who are treacherous thrive?^(A)
2 You plant them, and they take root;
    they grow and bring forth fruit;
you are near in their mouths
    yet far from their hearts.^(B)
3 But you, O Lord, know me;
    you see me and test me; my heart is with you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
    and set them apart for the day of slaughter.^(C)
4 How long will the land mourn
    and the grass of every field wither?
For the wickedness of those who live in it,
    the animals and the birds are swept away,
    and because people said, “He is blind to our ways.”^[a](D)