⁹ Like lions crouched in hiding,
    they wait to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture the helpless
    and drag them away in nets.

¹² They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—
    like young lions hiding in ambush.

³ They have set an ambush for me.
    Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord,
    though I have not sinned or offended them.

¹⁰ With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

³ Listen to the wailing of the shepherds,
    for their rich pastures are destroyed.
Hear the young lions roaring,
    for their thickets in the Jordan Valley are ruined.

¹⁴ With his own weapons,
    you destroyed the chief of those
who rushed out like a whirlwind,
    thinking Israel would be easy prey.

¹¹ Where now is that great Nineveh,
    that den filled with young lions?
It was a place where people—like lions and their cubs—
    walked freely and without fear.
¹² The lion tore up meat for his cubs
    and strangled prey for his mate.
He filled his den with prey,
    his caverns with his plunder.

¹¹ You trample the poor,
    stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent.
Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses,
    you will never live in them.
Though you plant lush vineyards,
    you will never drink wine from them.
¹² For I know the vast number of your sins
    and the depth of your rebellions.
You oppress good people by taking bribes
    and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.