⁷ The righteous knoweth the plea of the poor, The wicked understandeth not knowledge.

¹ To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. O the happiness of him Who is acting wisely unto the poor, In a day of evil doth Jehovah deliver him.

¹⁶ A father I `am' to the needy, And the cause I have not known I search out.

⁸ Open thy mouth for the dumb, For the right of all sons of change.

⁹ Open thy mouth, judge righteously, Both the cause of the poor and needy!'

¹³ Whoso is shutting his ear from the cry of the poor, He also doth cry, and is not answered.

¹ Brethren, if a man also may be overtaken in any trespass, ye who `are' spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself -- lest thou also may be tempted;

¹ And I say, `Hear, I pray you, heads of Jacob, And ye judges of the house of Israel, Is it not for you to know the judgment?

² Ye who are hating good, and loving evil, Taking violently their skin from off them, And their flesh from off their bones,

³ And who have eaten the flesh of My people, And their skin from off them have stript, And their bones they have broken, And they have spread `them' out as in a pot, And as flesh in the midst of a caldron.

⁴ Then do they cry unto Jehovah, And He doth not answer them, And hideth His face from them at that time, As they have made evil their doings.

²⁹ The people of the land have used oppression, And have taken plunder violently away, And humble and needy have oppressed, And the sojourner oppressed -- without judgment.

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.

³¹ And I pour out on them mine indignation, By fire of My wrath I have consumed them, Their way on their own head I have put, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

¹⁵ Dost thou reign, because thou art fretting thyself in cedar? Thy father -- did he not eat and drink? Yea, he did judgment and righteousness, Then `it is' well with him.

¹⁶ He decided the cause of the poor and needy, Then `it is' well -- is it not to know Me? An affirmation of Jehovah.

¹⁷ But thine eyes and thy heart are not, Except on thy dishonest gain, And on shedding of innocent blood, And on oppression, and on doing of violence.

²¹ If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in `him' the gate of my court,

¹³ If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

⁹ And the young men of David come in, and speak unto Nabal according to all these words, in the name of David -- and rest.

¹⁰ And Nabal answereth the servants of David and saith, `Who `is' David, and who the son of Jesse? to-day have servants been multiplied who are breaking away each from his master;

¹¹ and I have taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given `it' to men whom I have not known whence they `are'!'

⁷ Father and mother made light of in thee, To a sojourner they dealt oppressively in thy midst, Fatherless and widow they oppressed in thee.

²⁸ They have been fat, they have shone, Yea, they have overpassed the acts of the evil, Judgment they have not judged, The judgment of the fatherless -- and they prosper, And the judgment of the needy they have not judged.

⁷ I rejoice, and am glad in Thy kindness, In that Thou hast seen mine affliction, Thou hast known in adversities my soul.