¹⁶ Do not take your servant to be a good-for-nothing woman: for my words have come from my stored-up sorrow and pain.

¹² Now the sons of Eli were evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord.

¹³ That good-for-nothing persons have gone out from among you, turning the people of their town from the right way and saying, Let us go and give worship to other gods, of whom you have no knowledge;

²⁷ But certain good-for-nothing persons said, How is this man to be our saviour? And having no respect for him, they gave him no offering.

²⁵ Let my lord give no attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing: for as his name is, so is he, a man without sense: but I, your servant, did not see the young men whom my lord sent.

² If only my passion might be measured, and put into the scales against my trouble!

³ For then its weight would be more than the sand of the seas: because of this my words have been uncontrolled.

¹ My soul is tired of life; I will let my sad thoughts go free in words; my soul will make a bitter outcry.

² I will say to God, Do not put me down as a sinner; make clear to me what you have against me.

³⁴ You offspring of snakes, how are you, being evil, able to say good things? because out of the heart's store come the words of the mouth.

³⁵ The good man out of his good store gives good things; and the evil man out of his evil store gives evil things.