¹ You would be in the right, O Lord,
    if I should dispute with you;
    even so, I must lay out the case against you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper,
    why do all the treacherous live in contentment?^(A)
2 You planted them; they have taken root,
    they flourish and bear fruit as well.
You are upon their lips,
    but far from their thoughts.^(B)
3 Lord, you know me, you see me,
    you have found that my heart is with you.^(C)
Pick them out like sheep for the butcher,
    set them apart for the day of slaughter.^[a]
4 How long must the land mourn,
    the grass of the whole countryside wither?
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it
    beasts and birds disappear,
    for they say, “God does not care about our future.”

⁷ I have abandoned my house,
    cast off my heritage;
The beloved of my soul I have delivered
    into the hand of her foes.^(E)
8 My heritage has become for me
    like a lion in the thicket;
She has raised her voice against me,
    therefore she has incurred my hatred.^(F)
9 My heritage is a prey for hyenas,
    is surrounded by vultures;
Come, gather together, all you wild animals,
    come and eat!^(G)
10 Many shepherds have ravaged my vineyard,
    have trampled down my heritage;
My delightful portion they have turned
    into a desert waste.^(H)
11 They have made it a mournful waste,
    desolate before me,
Desolate, the whole land,
    because no one takes it to heart.
¹² Upon every height in the wilderness
    marauders have appeared.
The Lord has a sword that consumes
    the land from end to end:
    no peace for any living thing.^(I)
13 They have sown wheat and reaped thorns,
    they have tired themselves out for no purpose;
They are shamed by their harvest,
    the burning anger of the Lord.