⁶ I have given attention, yea, I hearken, They do not speak right, No man hath repented of his wickedness, Saying, What have I done? Every one hath turned to his courses, As a horse is rushing into battle.

² Jehovah from the heavens Hath looked on the sons of men, To see if there is a wise one -- seeking God.

⁹ the Lord is not slow in regard to the promise, as certain count slowness, but is long-suffering to us, not counselling any to be lost but all to pass on to reformation,

¹⁶ Then have those fearing Jehovah spoken one to another, And Jehovah doth attend and hear, And written is a book of memorial before Him Of those fearing Jehovah, And of those esteeming His name.

² Perished hath the kind out of the land, And upright among men -- there are none, All of them for blood lie in wait, Each his brother they hunt `with' a net.

³⁰ And I seek of them a man making a fence, And standing in the breach before Me, In behalf of the land -- not to destroy it, And I have not found.

¹⁹ Dost thou give to the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck `with' a mane?

²⁰ Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting `is' terrible.

²¹ They dig in a valley, and he rejoiceth in power, He goeth forth to meet the armour.

²² He laugheth at fear, and is not affrighted, And he turneth not back from the face of the sword.

²³ Against him rattle doth quiver, The flame of a spear, and a halbert.

²⁴ With trembling and rage he swalloweth the ground, And remaineth not stedfast Because of the sound of a trumpet.

²⁵ Among the trumpets he saith, Aha, And from afar he doth smell battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.

²⁰ and the rest of men, who were not killed in these plagues, neither did reform from the works of their hands, that they may not bow before the demons, and idols, those of gold, and those of silver, and those of brass, and those of stone, and those of wood, that are neither able to see, nor to hear, nor to walk,

¹⁷ `And having come to himself, he said, How many hirelings of my father have a superabundance of bread, and I here with hunger am perishing!

¹⁸ having risen, I will go on unto my father, and will say to him, Father, I did sin -- to the heaven, and before thee,

¹⁹ and no more am I worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hirelings.

⁷ Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Set your heart to your ways.

⁵ And now, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Set your heart to your ways.

²⁸ And he seeth and turneth back, From all his transgressions that he hath done, He doth surely live, he doth not die,

¹ Go to and fro in streets of Jerusalem, And see, I pray you, and know, And seek in her broad places, if ye find a man, If there be one doing judgment, seeking stedfastness -- Then am I propitious to her.

²⁴ A wild ass accustomed to a wilderness, In the desire of her soul she hath swallowed up wind, Her meeting -- who doth turn her back? None seeking her do weary themselves, In her month they find her.

²⁵ Withhold thy foot from being unshod, And thy throat from thirst, And thou sayest, `It is incurable, No, for I have loved strangers, and after them I go.'

¹⁶ And He seeth that there is no man, And is astonished that there is no intercessor, And His own arm giveth salvation to Him, And His righteousness -- it sustained Him.

¹⁸ And therefore doth wait Jehovah to favour you, And therefore He is exalted to pity you, For a God of judgment `is' Jehovah, O the blessedness of all waiting for Him.

²⁷ He looketh on men, and saith, `I sinned, And uprightness I have perverted, And it hath not been profitable to me.

²⁸ He hath ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life on the light looketh.'

² I say unto God, `Do not condemn me, Let me know why Thou dost strive `with' me.