This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.

因此律法放松，公理也不显明；恶人围困义人，所以公理显然颠倒。”

因此律法无效，公理从未彰显。恶人围困义人，所以公理遭受扭曲。

因此律法无效，公理从未彰显。恶人围困义人，所以公理遭受扭曲。

因此律法失效，正义不彰，恶人包围义人，正义被扭曲。

因此律法不能生效（“律法不能生效”原文作“律法松懈”），公理无法彰显。因为恶人把义人包围，所以公理颠倒。

因此律法放鬆，公理也不顯明；惡人圍困義人，所以公理顯然顛倒。

因此律法無效，公理從未彰顯。惡人圍困義人，所以公理遭受扭曲。

因此律法無效，公理從未彰顯。惡人圍困義人，所以公理遭受扭曲。

因此律法失效，正義不彰，惡人包圍義人，正義被扭曲。

因此律法不能生效（“律法不能生效”原文作“律法鬆懈”），公理無法彰顯。因為惡人把義人包圍，所以公理顛倒。

因此律法僵化，公理總不出現。因為惡人圍困着義人，故此公理就使出現、也彎曲了。

緣此法律廢弛、公義不彰、惡者環繞義人、公義顯然違反、

惡者枉法、環攻義人、律例俱廢、伸其冤者、卒無一人。

緣此律法已廢、是非不循理而決、惡者圍攻善人、以致曲直顛倒、○

Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

The law can’t do what it’s supposed to do. Fairness never comes out on top. Sinful people surround those who do what is right. So people are never treated fairly.

So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.

This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Therefore the Law is ignored, And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out confused.

Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

Therefore the law is slacked, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore justice goeth forth perverted.

Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

For this reason the law lacks power, and justice is never carried out. Indeed, the wicked intimidate the innocent. For this reason justice is perverted.

Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails; for the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted.

The faithful city— what an adulteress she has become! She was once full of justice. Righteousness once dwelt in her— but now, murderers!Your silver has become dross, your beer is diluted with water.Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love graft and chase after bribes. They do not defend the rights of the fatherless, and the widow’s case never comes before them.

Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful?

It is time for the Lord to act, for they have violated Your instruction.

You will be righteous, Lord, even if I bring a case against You. Yet, I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous live at ease?

He answered me:“ The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity. For they say,‘ The Lord has abandoned the land; He does not see.’

Can a corrupt throne— one that creates trouble by law— become Your ally?They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

“ You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.

transgression and deception against the Lord, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended.

Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones? Do you judge people fairly?No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.

They speak mere words, taking false oaths while making covenants. So lawsuits break out like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

The conspiracy of her prophets within her is like a roaring lion tearing its prey: they devour people, seize wealth and valuables, and multiply the widows within her.Her priests do violence to My instruction and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they do not explain the difference between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.“ Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives in order to make profit dishonestly.Her prophets plaster with whitewash for them by seeing false visions and lying divinations, and they say,‘ This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord has not spoken.The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the foreign resident.I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.

“ You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable. They oppress the righteous, take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice at the gates.

Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

When daybreak came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.After tying Him up, they led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate, the governor.

Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have grown powerful and rich.They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy.Should I not punish them for these things? This is the Lord’s declaration. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

Godly people have vanished from the land; there is no one upright among the people. All of them wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt each other with a net.Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together.The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchmen, the day of your punishment, is coming; at this time their panic is here.

This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and hound from town to town.So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.I assure you: All these things will come on this generation!

Lord, how long will the wicked— how long will the wicked gloat?

Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.

Woe to those who dream up wickedness and prepare evil plans on their beds! At morning light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.They covet fields and seize them; they also take houses. They deprive a man of his home, a person of his inheritance.

Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism?

He also said to them,“ You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain your tradition!

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so they could put Him to death.But they could not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally, two who came forwardstated,“ This man said,‘ I can demolish God’s sanctuary and rebuild it in three days.’”The high priest then stood up and said to Him,“ Don’t You have an answer to what these men are testifying against You?”But Jesus kept silent. Then the high priest said to Him,“ By the living God I place You under oath: tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God!”“ You have said it,” Jesus told him.“ But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”Then the high priest tore his robes and said,“ He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy!What is your decision?” They answered,“ He deserves death!”

When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse: neither to eat nor to drink until they had killed Paul.There were more than 40 who had formed this plot.These men went to the chief priests and elders and said,“ We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul.

Then I said,“ Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?You hate good and love evil. You tear off people’s skin and strip their flesh from their bones.You eat the flesh of my people after you strip their skin from them and break their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.”

“ That’s a lie,” Jeremiah replied.“ I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” Irijah would not listen to him but apprehended Jeremiah and took him to the officials.The officials were angry at Jeremiah and beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and stayed there many days.

Deliver me from those who practice sin, and save me from men of bloodshed.

They were stoning Stephen as he called out:“ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

All the people answered,“ His blood be on us and on our children!”Then he released Barabbas to them. But after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

King Jehoiakim, all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, and the king tried to put him to death. When Uriah heard, he fled in fear and went to Egypt.But King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor and certain other men with him went to Egypt.They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.

For no fault of mine, they run and take up a position. Awake to help me, and take notice.

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

He finished the address the Lord had commanded him to deliver to all the people. Then the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling,“ You must surely die!

God has taken His place in the divine assembly; He judges among the gods:“ How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? SelahProvide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the power of the wicked.”They do not know or understand; they wander in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

The two wicked men came in and sat opposite him. Then the wicked men testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying,“ Naboth has cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.

For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet.

The officials then said to the king,“ This man ought to die, because he is weakening the morale of the warriors who remain in this city and of all the people by speaking to them in this way. This man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but disaster.”King Zedekiah said,“ Here he is; he’s in your hands since the king can’t do anything against you.”So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

Even your brothers— your own father’s household— even they were treacherous to you; even they have cried out loudly after you. Do not have confidence in them, though they speak well of you.

But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen.For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers, with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongues mutter injustice.No one makes claims justly; no one pleads honestly. They trust in empty and worthless words; they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.They hatch viper’s eggs and weave spider’s webs. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched.Their webs cannot become clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their works are sinful works, and violent acts are in their hands.Their feet run after evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths.They have not known the path of peace, and there is no justice in their ways. They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks on them will know peace.

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