Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this (matter): and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them.
The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth (abundantly).
Surely I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God.
Wherefore do the wicked live, Become old, yea, wax mighty in power?
Their seed is established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes.
Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them.
Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance.
They sing to the timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
They spend their days in prosperity, And in a moment they go down to Sheol.
And they say unto God, Depart from us; For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.
He will judge the poor of the people, He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.
They shall fear thee while the sun endureth, And so long as the moon, throughout all generations.
He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, As showers that water the earth.
In his days shall the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River unto the ends of the earth.
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; All nations shall serve him.
For he will deliver the needy when he crieth, And the poor, that hath no helper.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, And see the reward of the wicked.
As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxed rich.
They are waxed fat, they shine: yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
But, O Jehovah of hosts, who judgest righteously, who triest the heart and the mind, I shall see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
Moreover I will give all the riches of this city, and all the gains thereof, and all the precious things thereof, yea, all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies; and they shall make them a prey, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
But Jehovah is with me as a mighty one (and) a terrible: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail; they shall be utterly put to shame, because they have not dealt wisely, even with an everlasting dishonor which shall never be forgotten.
Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;
And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and escape.