¹ You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses.
    You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.
² You have shaken our land and split it open.
    Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.
³ You have been very hard on us,
    making us drink wine that sent us reeling.
⁴ But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—
    a rallying point in the face of attack. Interlude

⁵ Now rescue your beloved people.
    Answer and save us by your power.
⁶ God has promised this by his holiness^[b]:
“I will divide up Shechem with joy.
    I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
⁷ Gilead is mine,
    and Manasseh, too.
Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors,
    and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.
⁸ But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant,
    and I will wipe my feet on Edom
    and shout in triumph over Philistia.”

⁹ Who will bring me into the fortified city?
    Who will bring me victory over Edom?
¹⁰ Have you rejected us, O God?
    Will you no longer march with our armies?
¹¹ Oh, please help us against our enemies,
    for all human help is useless.
¹² With God’s help we will do mighty things,
    for he will trample down our foes.

29 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism
    will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.

² When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.
    But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

³ The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
    but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.

⁴ A just king gives stability to his nation,
    but one who demands bribes destroys it.

⁵ To flatter friends
    is to lay a trap for their feet.

⁶ Evil people are trapped by sin,
    but the righteous escape, shouting for joy.

⁷ The godly care about the rights of the poor;
    the wicked don’t care at all.

⁸ Mockers can get a whole town agitated,
    but the wise will calm anger.

⁹ If a wise person takes a fool to court,
    there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction.

¹⁰ The bloodthirsty hate blameless people,
    but the upright seek to help them.^[a]

¹¹ Fools vent their anger,
    but the wise quietly hold it back.

¹² If a ruler pays attention to liars,
    all his advisers will be wicked.

¹³ The poor and the oppressor have this in common—
    the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴ If a king judges the poor fairly,
    his throne will last forever.

¹⁵ To discipline a child produces wisdom,
    but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

¹⁶ When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes,
    but the godly will live to see their downfall.

¹⁷ Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind
    and will make your heart glad.

¹⁸ When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.
    But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

¹⁹ Words alone will not discipline a servant;
    the words may be understood, but they are not heeded.

²⁰ There is more hope for a fool
    than for someone who speaks without thinking.

²¹ A servant pampered from childhood
    will become a rebel.

²² An angry person starts fights;
    a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.

²³ Pride ends in humiliation,
    while humility brings honor.

²⁴ If you assist a thief, you only hurt yourself.
    You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify.

²⁵ Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
    but trusting the Lord means safety.

²⁶ Many seek the ruler’s favor,
    but justice comes from the Lord.

²⁷ The righteous despise the unjust;
    the wicked despise the godly.