⁹ "By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.

²³ It happened in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.

²⁸ So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, He heard the cry of the afflicted.

³ A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, 'Defend me from my adversary!'

⁴ He wouldn't for a while, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God, nor respect man,

⁵ yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.'"

⁶ The Lord said, "Listen to what the unrighteous judge says.

⁷ Won't God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them?

¹ > Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.

² My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.

² Attend to me, and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and moan,

³ Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring suffering on me. In anger they hold a grudge against me.

² For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

⁵ "Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says Yahweh; "I will set him in safety from those who malign him."

¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.

⁹ Or have you an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?

¹² From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, Yet God doesn't regard the folly.

¹⁹ He leads priests away stripped, And overthrows the mighty.

¹ Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.

² For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.

³ Some also there were that said, We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get grain, because of the dearth.

⁴ There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute [on] our fields and our vineyards.

⁵ Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children: and, behold, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage [already]: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.

⁹ Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

⁷ Yahweh said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.