¹ And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and lo, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors `is' power, and they have no comforter.

¹⁶ And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment -- there `is' the wicked; and the place of righteousness -- there `is' the wicked.

⁸ If oppression of the poor, and violent taking away of judgment and righteousness thou seest in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a higher than the high is observing, and high ones `are' over them.

⁹ Her uncleanness `is' in her skirts, She hath not remembered her latter end, And she cometh down wonderfully, There is no comforter for her. See, O Jehovah, mine affliction, For exerted himself hath an enemy.

² She weepeth sore in the night, And her tear `is' on her cheeks, There is no comforter for her out of all her lovers, All her friends dealt treacherously by her, They have been to her for enemies.

⁷ Because the vineyard of Jehovah of Hosts `Is' the house of Israel, And the man of Judah His pleasant plant, And He waiteth for judgment, and lo, oppression, For righteousness, and lo, a cry.

²³ And I have put it into the hand of those afflicting thee, Who have said to thy soul, Bow down, and we pass over, And thou makest as the earth thy body, And as the street to those passing by!'

⁷ Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.

¹⁵ A growling lion, and a ranging bear, `Is' the wicked ruler over a poor people.

¹⁶ A leader lacking understanding multiplieth oppressions, Whoso is hating dishonest gain prolongeth days.

³ A man -- poor and oppressing the weak, `Is' a sweeping rain, and there is no bread.

⁷ All the brethren of the poor have hated him, Surely also his friends have been far from him, He is pursuing words -- they are not!

⁴ Looking on the right hand -- and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul.

⁷ Their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed innocent blood, Their thoughts `are' thoughts of iniquity, Spoiling and destruction `are' in their highways.

¹³ Transgressing, and lying against Jehovah, And removing from after our God, Speaking oppression and apostacy, Conceiving and uttering from the heart Words of falsehood.

¹⁴ And removed backward is judgment, And righteousness afar off standeth, For truth hath been feeble in the street, And straightforwardness is not able to enter,

¹⁵ And the truth is lacking, And whoso is turning aside from evil, Is making himself a spoil. And Jehovah seeth, and it is evil in His eyes, That there is no judgment.

¹³ And this a second time ye do, Covering with tears the altar of Jehovah, With weeping and groaning, Because there is no more turning unto the present, Or receiving of a pleasing thing from your hand.

⁵ And I have drawn near to you for judgment, And I have been a witness, Making haste against sorcerers, And against adulterers, And against swearers to a falsehood, And against oppressors of the hire of an hireling, Of a widow, and of a fatherless one, And those turning aside a sojourner, And who fear Me not, said Jehovah of Hosts.

¹⁸ And ye have turned back and considered, Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the servant of God and him who is not His servant.

⁵⁶ but all this hath come to pass, that the Writings of the prophets may be fulfilled;' then all the disciples, having left him, fled.

¹⁶ in my first defence no one stood with me, but all forsook me, (may it not be reckoned to them!)

¹⁷ and the Lord stood by me, and did strengthen me, that through me the preaching might be fully assured, and all the nations might hear, and I was freed out of the mouth of a lion,

⁴ lo, the reward of the workmen, of those who in-gathered your fields, which hath been fraudulently kept back by you -- doth cry out, and the exclamations of those who did reap into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth have entered;

⁸ All the day mine enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me.

⁹ Because ashes as bread I have eaten, And my drink with weeping have mingled,

⁵ Thou hast caused them to eat bread of tears, And causest them to drink With tears a third time.

²⁰ Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am sick, And I look for a bemoaner, and there is none, And for comforters, and I have found none.

⁷ and the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel, and He selleth them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the Bene-Ammon,

⁸ and they crush and oppress the sons of Israel in that year -- eighteen years all the sons of Israel `who' are beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorite, which `is' in Gilead.

³ and the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, for he hath nine hundred chariots of iron, and he hath oppressed the sons of Israel mightily twenty years.

⁴⁸ thou hast served thine enemies, whom Jehovah sendeth against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in lack of all things; and he hath put a yoke of iron on thy neck, till He hath destroyed thee.

³³ The fruit of thy ground, and all thy labour, eat up doth a people whom thou hast not known; and thou hast been only oppressed and bruised all the days;

¹⁶ Straw is not given to thy servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and lo, thy servants are smitten -- and thy people hath sinned.'

¹⁷ And he saith, `Remiss -- ye are remiss, therefore ye are saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah;

¹⁸ and now, go, serve; and straw is not given to you, and the measure of bricks ye do give.'

¹⁹ And the authorities of the sons of Israel see them in affliction, saying, `Ye do not diminish from your bricks; the matter of a day in its day.'

²³ And it cometh to pass during these many days, that the king of Egypt dieth, and the sons of Israel sigh because of the service, and cry, and their cry goeth up unto God, because of the service;

²⁴ and God heareth their groaning, and God remembereth His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob;

²² and Pharaoh layeth a charge on all his people, saying, `Every son who is born -- into the River ye do cast him, and every daughter ye do keep alive.'

¹⁶ and saith, `When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it `is' a son -- then ye have put him to death; and if it `is' a daughter -- then she hath lived.'

¹ And there is a great cry of the people and their wives, concerning their brethren the Jews,

² yea, there are who are saying, `Our sons, and our daughters, we -- are many, and we receive corn, and eat, and live.'

³ And there are who are saying, `Our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses, we are pledging, and we receive corn for the famine.'

⁴ And there are who are saying, `We have borrowed money for the tribute of the king, `on' our fields, and our vineyards;

⁵ and now, as the flesh of our brethren `is' our flesh, as their sons `are' our sons, and lo, we are subduing our sons and our daughters for servants, and there are of our daughters subdued, and our hand hath no might, and our fields and our vineyards `are' to others.'

²⁹ Turn back, I pray you, let it not be perverseness, Yea, turn back again -- my righteousness `is' in it.

⁹ I say to God my rock, `Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning in the oppression of an enemy?

³ My tear hath been to me bread day and night, In their saying unto me all the day, `Where `is' thy God?'

⁵ Because of the spoiling of the poor, Because of the groaning of the needy, Now do I arise, saith Jehovah, I set in safety `him who' doth breathe for it.

⁹ He lieth in wait in a secret place, as a lion in a covert. He lieth in wait to catch the poor, He catcheth the poor, drawing him into his net.

¹⁰ He is bruised -- he boweth down, Fallen by his mighty ones hath the afflicted.

⁹ Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.

⁷ The naked they cause to lodge Without clothing. And there is no covering in the cold.

⁸ From the inundation of hills they are wet, And without a refuge -- have embraced a rock.

⁹ They take violently away From the breast the orphan, And on the poor they lay a pledge.

¹⁰ Naked, they have gone without clothing, And hungry -- have taken away a sheaf.

¹¹ Between their walls they make oil, Wine-presses they have trodden, and thirst.

¹² Because of enmity men do groan, And the soul of pierced ones doth cry, And God doth not give praise.

²¹ Pity me, pity me, ye my friends, For the hand of God hath stricken against me.

²² Why do you pursue me as God? And with my flesh are not satisfied?

⁴ I also, like you, might speak, If your soul were in my soul's stead. I might join against you with words, And nod at you with my head.

¹³ and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,

¹⁴ and make their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every `kind' of service in the field; all their service in which they have served `is' with rigour.