³ Let not ^(E)steadfast love and ^(F)faithfulness forsake you;
    ^(G)bind them around your neck;
    ^(H)write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will ^(I)find favor and ^(J)good success^[a]
    in the sight of God and man.

^5 (K)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and ^(L)do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways ^(M)acknowledge him,
    and he ^(N)will make straight your paths.
^7 (O)Be not wise in your own eyes;
    ^(P)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be ^(Q)healing to your flesh^[b]
    and ^(R)refreshment^[c] to your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with ^(S)the firstfruits of all your produce;
¹⁰ then your ^(T)barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.

^11 (U)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
¹² for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as ^(V)a father the son in whom he delights.

^19 (AG)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
    by understanding ^(AH)he established the heavens;
²⁰ by his knowledge ^(AI)the deeps broke open,
    and ^(AJ)the clouds drop down the dew.

²¹ My son, ^(AK)do not lose sight of these—
    keep sound wisdom and discretion,
²² and they will be ^(AL)life for your soul
    and ^(AM)adornment for your neck.
^23 (AN)Then you will walk on your way securely,
    ^(AO)and your foot will not stumble.
^24 (AP)If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, ^(AQ)your sleep will be sweet.
^25 (AR)Do not be afraid of sudden terror
    or of ^(AS)the ruin^[d] of the wicked, when it comes,
²⁶ for the Lord will be your confidence
    and will ^(AT)keep your foot from being caught.
^27 (AU)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,^[e]
    when it is in your power to do it.

^28 (AV)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
    tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
^29 (AW)Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
    who ^(AX)dwells trustingly beside you.
^30 (AY)Do not contend with a man for no reason,
    when he has done you no harm.
^31 (AZ)Do not envy ^(BA)a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,
³² for ^(BB)the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are ^(BC)in his confidence.
^33 (BD)The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he ^(BE)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴ Toward the ^(BF)scorners he ^(BG)is scornful,
    ^(BH)but to the humble he gives favor.^[f]
35 The wise will inherit honor,
    but fools get^[g] disgrace.

² The precious sons of Zion,
    worth their weight in ^(C)fine gold,
how they are regarded as ^(D)earthen pots,
    the work of a potter's hands!

³ Even jackals offer the breast;
    they nurse their young;
but the daughter of my people has become cruel,
    like the ostriches in the wilderness.

⁴ The tongue of the nursing infant ^(E)sticks
    to the roof of its mouth for thirst;
^(F)the children beg for food,
    but no one gives to them.

⁵ Those who once feasted on delicacies
    perish in the streets;
^(G)those who were brought up in purple
    embrace ash heaps.

^6 (H)For the chastisement^[a] of the daughter of my people has been greater
    than the punishment^[b] of Sodom,
^(I)which was overthrown in a moment,
    and no hands were wrung for her.^[c]

⁷ Her princes were purer than snow,
    whiter than milk;
their bodies were more ruddy than coral,
    the beauty of their form^[d] was like sapphire.^[e]

^8 (J)Now their face is blacker than soot;
    they are not recognized in the streets;
their skin has shriveled on their bones;
    it has become as dry as wood.

⁹ Happier were the victims of the sword
    than the victims of hunger,
who wasted away, pierced
    by lack of the fruits of the field.

^10 (K)The hands of ^(L)compassionate women
    ^(M)have boiled their own children;
^(N)they became their food
    during the destruction of the daughter of my people.

^11 (O)The Lord gave full vent to his wrath;
    he poured out his hot anger,
and ^(P)he kindled a fire in Zion
    that consumed its foundations.

^12 (Q)The kings of the earth did not believe,
    nor any of the inhabitants of the world,
that foe or enemy could enter
    the gates of Jerusalem.

¹³ This was for ^(R)the sins of her prophets
    and ^(S)the iniquities of her priests,
who shed in the midst of her
    the blood of the righteous.

^14 (T)They wandered, blind, through the streets;
    they were so defiled with blood
^(U)that no one was able to touch
    their garments.

¹⁵ “Away! ^(V)Unclean!” people cried at them.
    “Away! Away! Do not touch!”
So they became fugitives and wanderers;
    people said among the nations,
    “They shall stay with us no longer.”

^16 (W)The Lord himself^[f] has scattered them;
    he will regard them no more;
^(X)no honor was shown to the priests,
    ^(Y)no favor to the elders.

^17 (Z)Our eyes failed, ever watching
    ^(AA)vainly for help;
in our watching we watched
    for ^(AB)a nation which could not save.

^18 (AC)They dogged our steps
    so that we could not walk in our streets;
^(AD)our end drew near; our days were numbered,
    for our end had come.

¹⁹ Our pursuers were ^(AE)swifter
    than the eagles in the heavens;
they chased us on the mountains;
    they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

^20 (AF)The breath of our nostrils, ^(AG)the Lord's anointed,
    was captured ^(AH)in their pits,
of whom we said, ^(AI)“Under his shadow
    we shall live among the nations.”

^21 (AJ)Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
    you who dwell in ^(AK)the land of Uz;
but to you also ^(AL)the cup shall pass;
    you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.

^22 (AM)The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished;
    he will keep you in exile no longer;^[g]
but ^(AN)your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish;
    he will uncover your sins.