Lord, when I bring a matter to you, you always do what is right. But now I would like to speak with you about whether you are being fair. Why are sinful people successful? Why do those who can’t be trusted have an easy life?

耶和华啊，我与你争辩的时候，你显为义；但有一件，我还要与你理论：恶人的道路为何亨通呢？大行诡诈的为何得安逸呢？

耶和华啊，我与你争辩的时候，你总是显为义；但有一件，我还要与你理论：恶人的道路为何亨通呢？大行诡诈的为何得安逸呢？

耶和华啊，我与你争辩的时候，你总是显为义；但有一件，我还要与你理论：恶人的道路为何亨通呢？大行诡诈的为何得安逸呢？

耶和华啊，每次我与你争论，都显明你是对的。然而，我还是对你的公正有所不解：为什么恶人总是得势？为什么诡诈之人反而生活安逸？

耶和华啊！我跟你争辩的时候，总是你有理；然而我还要跟你讨论有关公正的问题。恶人的道路为什么亨通？所有行诡诈的为什么都得享安逸？

耶和華啊，我與你爭辯的時候，你顯為義；但有一件，我還要與你理論：惡人的道路為何亨通呢？大行詭詐的為何得安逸呢？

耶和華啊，我與你爭辯的時候，你總是顯為義；但有一件，我還要與你理論：惡人的道路為何亨通呢？大行詭詐的為何得安逸呢？

耶和華啊，我與你爭辯的時候，你總是顯為義；但有一件，我還要與你理論：惡人的道路為何亨通呢？大行詭詐的為何得安逸呢？

耶和華啊，每次我與你爭論，都顯明你是對的。然而，我還是對你的公正有所不解：為什麼惡人總是得勢？為什麼詭詐之人反而生活安逸？

耶和華啊！我跟你爭辯的時候，總是你有理；然而我還要跟你討論有關公正的問題。惡人的道路為甚麼亨通？所有行詭詐的為甚麼都得享安逸？

永恆主啊，我和你辯訴時，你都是對的；但有一個案件、我還要跟你理論。惡人的路為甚麼順利亨通？大行詭詐的為甚麼安享興隆呢？

耶和華歟、我與爾辯、爾乃公義、然我猶欲與爾論之、惡人之道、何故亨通、行詐之流、奚為安泰、

耶利米曰、耶和華與、吾訴於爾前、爾惟公是秉。即以爾行事論之、作惡者享通、逆理者平康、誠何故哉。

我若與主爭辯、主必顯為至公、雖然、我猶敢與主理論、惡人之道途亨通、奸詐之人平康、何故哉、

You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?

Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?

Lord, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy?

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?

Righteous are You, Lord, when I plead my case with You; Nevertheless I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?

Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

Righteous art thou, O Jehovah, when I contend with thee; yet would I reason the cause with thee: wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they at ease that deal very treacherously?

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?

Righteous[ art] thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of[ thy] judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?[ wherefore] are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

LORD, you have always been fair whenever I have complained to you. However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice. Why are wicked people successful? Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?

You are righteous, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet I would like to reason the cause with you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are they all at ease who deal very treacherously?

But now we call proud people blessed. Things go well with those who do what is evil. And God doesn’t even punish those who test him.’ ”

Don’t be upset because of sinful people. Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong.

Those who are evil spring up like grass. Those who do wrong succeed. But they will be destroyed forever.

Why doesn’t anyone bother the tents of robbers? Why do those who make God angry remain secure? They are in God’s hands!

You are the one I’ve really sinned against. I’ve done what is evil in your sight. So you are right when you sentence me. You are fair when you judge me.

I saw a mean and sinful person. He was doing well, like a green tree in its own land.

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.

But Lord, you rule over all. You always judge fairly. You test people’s hearts and minds. So pay them back for what they’ve done. I’ve committed my cause to you.

In spite of that, the Lord is good to Jerusalem. He never does anything that is wrong. Every morning he does what is fair. Each new day he does the right thing. But those who do what is wrong aren’t even ashamed of it.

Your eyes are too pure to look at what is evil. You can’t put up with the wrong things people do. So why do you put up with those who can’t be trusted? The evil Babylonians swallow up those who are more godly than themselves. So why are you silent?You have made people to be like the fish in the sea. They are like the sea creatures that don’t have a ruler.The evil Babylonians pull all of them up with hooks. They catch them in their nets. They gather them up. So they celebrate. They are glad.They offer sacrifices to their nets. They burn incense to them. Their nets allow them to live in great comfort. They enjoy the finest food.Are you going to let them keep on emptying their nets? Will they go on destroying nations without showing them any mercy?

“ Lord, you always do what is right. But we are covered with shame today. We are the people of Judah and Jerusalem. All of us are Israelites, no matter where we live. We are now living in many countries. You scattered us among the nations because we weren’t faithful to you.

The people of Israel and the people of Judah have not been faithful to me at all,” announces the Lord.

A hunter uses tricks to fill his cage with birds. And my people have filled their houses with a lot of goods. They have become rich and powerful.They have grown fat and heavy. There is no limit to the evil things they do. In court they do not seek justice. They don’t protect the rights of children whose fathers have died. They do not stand up for poor people.

Lord, how long will those who are evil be glad? How long will they be full of joy?Proud words pour out of their mouths. All those who do evil are always bragging.

I saw that proud and sinful people were doing well. And I began to long for what they had.They don’t have any troubles. Their bodies are healthy and strong.They don’t have the problems most people have. They don’t suffer as other people do.Their pride is like a necklace. They put on meanness as if it were their clothes.Many sins come out of their hard and stubborn hearts. There is no limit to the evil things they can think up.They laugh at others and speak words of hatred. They are proud. They warn others about the harm they can do to them.They brag as if they owned heaven itself. They talk as if they controlled the earth.So people listen to them. They lap up their words like water.They say,“ How would God know what we’re doing? Does the Most High God know anything?”Here is what sinful people are like. They don’t have a care in the world. They keep getting richer and richer.It seems as if I have kept my heart pure for no reason. It didn’t do me any good to wash my hands to show that I wasn’t guilty of doing anything wrong.Day after day I’ve been in pain. God has punished me in a new way every morning.What if I had talked like that? Then I wouldn’t have been faithful to God’s children.I tried to understand it all. But it was more than I could handle.It troubled me until I entered God’s temple. Then I understood what will finally happen to bad people.God, I’m sure you will make them slip and fall. You will throw them down and destroy them.It will happen very suddenly. A terrible death will take them away completely.A dream goes away when a person wakes up. Lord, it will be like that when you rise up. It will be as if those people were only a dream.At one time my heart was sad and my spirit was bitter.I didn’t have any sense. I didn’t know anything. I acted like a wild animal toward you.But I am always with you. You hold me by my right hand.You give me wise advice to guide me. And when I die, you will take me away into the glory of heaven.I don’t have anyone in heaven but you. I don’t want anything on earth besides you.My body and my heart may grow weak. God, you give strength to my heart. You are everything I will ever need.Those who don’t want anything to do with you will die. You destroy all those who aren’t faithful to you.But I am close to you. And that’s good. Lord and King, I have made you my place of safety. I will talk about everything you have done.

Lord, you are the God of Israel. You are holy. You always do what is right. Today you have left many of your people alive. Here we are with all our guilt. You see the guilt of our sin. Because we have sinned, not one of us can stand in front of you.”

Why do sinful people keep on living? The older they grow, the richer they get.They see their children grow up around them. They watch their family grow larger.Their homes are safe. They don’t have to be afraid. God isn’t punishing them.Every time their bulls mate, their cows become pregnant. And the calves don’t die before they are born.Sinful people send their children out like a flock of lambs. Their little ones dance around.They sing to the music of tambourines and lyres. They have a good time while flutes are being played.Those who are evil spend their years living well. They go down to their graves in peace.But they say to God,‘ Leave us alone! We don’t want to know how you want us to live.Who is the Mighty One? Why should we serve him? What would we get if we prayed to him?’

In fact, I long to speak to the Mighty One. I want to argue my case with God.

Lord, you do what is fair. And your laws are right.

You have not heard or understood what I said. Your ears have been plugged up for a long time. I knew very well that you would turn against me. From the day you were born, you have refused to obey me.

The Lord is right in everything he does. He is faithful in everything he does.

Just as at the city of Adam, they disobeyed me, they have broken the covenant I made with them. They were not faithful to me there.

The Lord says to the nations and their gods,“ State your case.” Jacob’s King says to them,“ Prove your case to me.

Doesn’t the fact that we are wrong prove more clearly that God is right? Then what can we say? Can we say that God is not fair when he brings his anger down on us? As you can tell, I am just using human ways of thinking.God is certainly fair! If he weren’t, how could he judge the world?

You would never kill godly people along with those who are evil, would you? Would you treat them all alike? You would never do anything like that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is right?”

He is the Rock. His works are perfect. All his ways are right. He is faithful. He doesn’t do anything wrong. He is honest and fair.

Even your relatives have turned against you. They are members of your own family. They have shouted loudly at you. They might say nice things about you. But do not trust them.

Lord, I know that your laws are right. You were faithful to your promise when you made me suffer.

“ The wrong path that childish people take will kill them. Foolish people will be destroyed by being satisfied with the way they live.