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.

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.

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

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

How tragic that the once- faithful city has become a prostitute! She was once a center of justice, fairness resided in her, but now only murderers.Your silver has become scum, your beer is diluted with water.Your officials are rebels, they associate with thieves. All of them love bribery, and look for payoffs. They do not take up the cause of the orphan, or defend the rights of the widow.

“ Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, even increase in power?

It is time for the LORD to act– they break your law!

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?

He said to me,“ The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of murder, and the city is full of corruption, for they say,‘ The LORD has abandoned the land, and the LORD does not see!’

Cruel rulers are not your allies, those who make oppressive laws.They conspire against the blameless, and condemn to death the innocent.

“ You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits.

We have rebelled and tried to deceive the LORD; we turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds.Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not even able to enter.Honesty has disappeared; the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed. The LORD watches and is displeased, for there is no justice.

Do you rulers really pronounce just decisions? Do you judge people fairly?No! You plan how to do what is unjust; you deal out violence in the earth.

They utter empty words, taking false oaths and making empty agreements. Therefore legal disputes sprout up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a plowed field.

Her princes within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many women widows within it.Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore my Sabbaths and I am profaned in their midst.Her officials are like wolves in her midst rending their prey– shedding blood and destroying lives– so they can get dishonest profit.Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying,‘ This is what the sovereign LORD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the foreigner who lives among them and denied them justice.“ I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one.

“ You must not follow a crowd in doing evil things; in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice,

Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter.

You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.

Certainly I am aware of your many rebellious acts and your numerous sins. You torment the innocent, you take bribes, and you deny justice to the needy at the city gate.

Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.

When it was early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to execute him.They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught, their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit. That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful.That is how they have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to the evil things they do. They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it. They do not defend the rights of the poor.I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the LORD.“ I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!

Faithful men have disappeared from the land; there are no godly men left. They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood; they hunt their own brother with a net.They are determined to be experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men make demands, and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them.The best of them is like a thorn; the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen– your appointed time of punishment– is on the way, and then you will experience confusion.

“ For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things!

O LORD, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked celebrate?

Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become!

Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, because they have the power to do so.They confiscate the fields they desire, and seize the houses they want. They defraud people of their homes, and deprive people of the land they have inherited.

But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to?

He also said to them,“ You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition.

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death.But they did not find anything, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forwardand declared,“ This man said,‘ I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”So the high priest stood up and said to him,“ Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?”But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him,“ I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”Jesus said to him,“ You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared,“ He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Now you have heard the blasphemy!What is your verdict?” They answered,“ He is guilty and deserves death.”

When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul.There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy.They went to the chief priests and the elders and said,“ We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed Paul.

I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the nation of Israel! You ought to know what is just,yet you hate what is good, and love what is evil. You flay my people’s skin and rip the flesh from their bones.You devour my people’s flesh, strip off their skin, and crush their bones. You chop them up like flesh in a pot– like meat in a kettle.

Jeremiah answered,“ That’s a lie! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah put Jeremiah under arrest and took him to the officials.The officials were very angry at Jeremiah. They had him flogged and put in prison in the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary, which they had converted into a place for confining prisoners.So Jeremiah was put in prison in a cell in the dungeon in Jonathan’s house. He was kept there for a long time.

Deliver me from evildoers! Rescue me from violent men!

They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed,“ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

In reply all the people said,“ Let his blood be on us and on our children!”Then he released Barabbas for them. But after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

When the king and all his bodyguards and officials heard what he was prophesying, the king sought to have him executed. But Uriah found out about it and fled to Egypt out of fear.However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor,and they brought Uriah back from there. They took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.

Though I have done nothing wrong, they are anxious to attack. Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me!

When the foundations are destroyed, what can the godly accomplish?”

Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the LORD had commanded him to say to all the people. All at once some of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted,“ You deserve to die!

God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods he renders judgment.He says,“ How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism to the wicked?( Selah)Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!Rescue the poor and needy! Deliver them from the power of the wicked!They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble.

The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying,“ Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death.

Yes, wild dogs surround me– a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion they pin my hands and feet.

So these officials said to the king,“ This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. This man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.”King Zedekiah said to them,“ Very well, you can do what you want with him. For I cannot do anything to stop you.”So the officials took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern of Malkijah, one of the royal princes, that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud.

As a matter of fact, even your own brothers and the members of your own family have betrayed you too. Even they have plotted to do away with you. So do not trust them even when they say kind things to you.

But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words.No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin.They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched.Their webs cannot be used for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are sinful; they commit violent crimes.They are eager to do evil, quick to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful; they crush and destroy.They are unfamiliar with peace; their deeds are unjust. They use deceitful methods, and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.

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