You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the righteous like dirt.

你们这使公平变为茵陈、将公义丢弃于地的，

你们这使公平变为茵陈，将公义丢弃于地的人哪！

你们这使公平变为茵陈，将公义丢弃于地的人哪！

你们这些使正义变为苦艾、将公义丢弃在地的人啊，

他们使公正变为苦堇，把公义弃于地上。

你們這使公平變為茵蔯、將公義丟棄於地的，

你們這使公平變為茵蔯，將公義丟棄於地的人哪！

你們這使公平變為茵蔯，將公義丟棄於地的人哪！

你們這些使正義變為苦艾、將公義丟棄在地的人啊，

他們使公正變為苦堇，把公義棄於地上。

那些使公平變為苦堇，將公義摔落於地的，

爾曹變公平為茵蔯、委義於地、

爾不秉公、不行義、反使人茹荼飲酖、

爾曹判斷、不秉公義、使人受屈苦、若食茵蔯、爾曹拋棄公義於地、

There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.

There are people among you who turn what is fair into something bitter. They throw down to the ground what is right.

O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!

Those who turn justice into wormwood also throw righteousness to the ground.

For those who turn justice into wormwood, And throw righteousness to the earth.”

You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”

Ye who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

Those who turn justice into wormwood throw righteousness to the ground.

Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

The Israelites turn justice into bitterness; they throw what is fair and right to the ground.

You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth:

Can horses gallop over boulders? Can oxen be used to plow them? But that’s how foolish you are when you turn justice into poison and the sweet fruit of righteousness into bitterness.

They spout empty words and make covenants they don’t intend to keep. So injustice springs up among them like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.

And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or seek my blessings.”

“ If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths.

For again I say, when righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and turn to evil, they will die.

O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal— surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins.But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?Are we only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?

However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.

You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them.For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

“ Son of man, give your people this message: The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked behavior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins.When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their righteous acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins.

Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good.

I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you— no man, woman, clan, or tribe— will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit.

Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows.

But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord. Take them away with those who do evil. May Israel have peace!

We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord. We have turned our backs on our God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies.Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed.

The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence.

What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws.