² In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
    let them ^(D)be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
³ For the wicked ^(E)boasts of the desires of his soul,
    and the one greedy for gain ^(F)curses^[a] and ^(G)renounces the Lord.
⁴ In the pride of his face^[b] the wicked does not ^(H)seek him;^[c]
    all his thoughts are, ^(I)“There is no God.”
⁵ His ways prosper at all times;
    your judgments are on high, ^(J)out of his sight;
    as for all his foes, he ^(K)puffs at them.
⁶ He ^(L)says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
    throughout all generations I ^(M)shall not meet adversity.”
^7 (N)His mouth is filled with cursing and ^(O)deceit and ^(P)oppression;
    ^(Q)under his tongue are ^(R)mischief and ^(S)iniquity.
⁸ He sits in ambush in the villages;
    in ^(T)hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
⁹     he lurks in ambush like ^(U)a lion in his ^(V)thicket;
he ^(W)lurks that he may seize the poor;
    he seizes the poor when he draws him into his ^(X)net.
¹⁰ The helpless are crushed, sink down,
    and fall by his might.
¹¹ He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has ^(Y)hidden his face, he ^(Z)will never see it.”

^12 (AA)Arise, O Lord; O God, ^(AB)lift up your hand;
    ^(AC)forget not the afflicted.
¹³ Why does the wicked ^(AD)renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not ^(AE)call to account”?
¹⁴ But you do see, for you ^(AF)note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless ^(AG)commits himself;
    you have been ^(AH)the helper of the fatherless.
^15 (AI)Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    ^(AJ)call his wickedness to account till you find none.

^16 (AK)The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the ^(AL)nations perish from his land.
¹⁷ O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will ^(AM)strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
¹⁸ to ^(AN)do justice to the fatherless and ^(AO)the oppressed,
    so that ^(AP)man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

“I remember the devotion of ^(A)your youth,
    your love ^(B)as a bride,
^(C)how you followed me in the wilderness,
    ^(D)in a land not sown.
^3 (E)Israel was holy to the Lord,
    ^(F)the firstfruits of his harvest.
^(G)All who ate of it incurred guilt;
    disaster came upon them,
declares the Lord.”

^(H)“What wrong did your fathers find in me
    that they went far from me,
^(I)and went after ^(J)worthlessness, and became worthless?
⁶ They did not say, ^(K)‘Where is the Lord
    who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us ^(L)in the wilderness,
    in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
    in a land that none passes through,
    where no man dwells?’
^7 (M)And I brought you into a plentiful land
    to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, ^(N)you defiled my land
    and made my heritage an abomination.
⁸ The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
    ^(O)Those who handle the law did not know me;
^(P)the shepherds^[a] transgressed against me;
    ^(Q)the prophets prophesied by Baal
    and went after ^(R)things that do not profit.

⁹ “Therefore ^(S)I still contend with you,
declares the Lord,
    and ^(T)with your children's children I will contend.
¹⁰ For cross to the coasts of ^(U)Cyprus and see,
    or send to ^(V)Kedar and examine with care;
    see if there has been such a thing.
^11 (W)Has a nation changed its gods,
    ^(X)even though they are no gods?
But my people ^(Y)have changed their glory
    for ^(Z)that which does not profit.
¹² Be appalled, ^(AA)O heavens, at this;
    be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
¹³ for my people have committed two evils:
^(AB)they have forsaken ^(AC)me,
    the fountain of ^(AD)living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
    broken cisterns that can hold no water.

^14 (AE)“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
    Why then has he become a prey?
^15 (AF)The lions have roared against him;
    they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
    his cities are in ruins, ^(AG)without inhabitant.
¹⁶ Moreover, the men of ^(AH)Memphis and ^(AI)Tahpanhes
    ^(AJ)have shaved^[b] the crown of your head.
^17 (AK)Have you not brought this upon yourself
    by forsaking the Lord your God,
    when ^(AL)he led you in the way?
^18 (AM)And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
    to drink the waters of ^(AN)the Nile?^[c]
(AO)Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
    to drink the waters of ^(AP)the Euphrates?^[d]
19 (AQ)Your evil will chastise you,
    and ^(AR)your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and ^(AS)bitter
    for ^(AT)you to forsake the Lord your God;
    the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.

²⁰ “For long ago I ^(AU)broke your yoke
    and burst your bonds;
    but you said, ^(AV)‘I will not serve.’
Yes, ^(AW)on every high hill
    and under every green tree
    you bowed down ^(AX)like a whore.
^21 (AY)Yet I planted you a choice vine,
    wholly of pure seed.
^(AZ)How then have you turned degenerate
    and become a wild vine?
²² Though you wash yourself with lye
    and use much soap,
    ^(BA)the stain of your guilt is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
^23 (BB)How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
    I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way ^(BC)in the valley;
    know what you have done—
a restless young camel running here and there,
^{24     (BD)}a wild donkey used to the wilderness,
in her heat sniffing the wind!
    Who can restrain her lust?
None who seek her need weary themselves;
    in her month they will find her.
²⁵ Keep ^(BE)your feet from going unshod
    and ^(BF)your throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
    ^(BG)for I have loved foreigners,
    and after them I will go.’

²⁶ “As a thief is shamed when caught,
    so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
^(BH)they, their kings, their officials,
    their priests, and their prophets,
²⁷ who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
    and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their back to me,
    and not their face.
But ^(BI)in the time of their trouble they say,
    ‘Arise and save us!’
²⁸ But ^(BJ)where are your gods
    that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, ^(BK)if they can save you,
    in your time of trouble;
for ^(BL)as many as your cities
    are your gods, O Judah.

²⁹ “Why do you contend with me?
    You have all transgressed against me,
declares the Lord.
³⁰ In vain have I ^(BM)struck your children;
    they took no correction;
^(BN)your own sword devoured your prophets
    like a ravening lion.
³¹ And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
    or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
    we will come no more to you’?
^32 (BO)Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
    or a bride her attire?
Yet ^(BP)my people have forgotten me
    days without number.

³³ “How well you direct your course
    to seek love!
So that even to wicked women
    you have taught your ways.
³⁴ Also on your skirts is found
    ^(BQ)the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them ^(BR)breaking in.
    Yet in spite of all these things
³⁵ you say, ‘I am innocent;
    surely his anger has turned from me.’
^(BS)Behold, I will bring you to judgment
    for ^(BT)saying, ‘I have not sinned.’
^36 (BU)How much you go about,
    changing your way!
You shall be ^(BV)put to shame by Egypt
    as you were put to shame by Assyria.
³⁷ From it too you will come away
    with ^(BW)your hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
    and you will not prosper by them.