If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight; for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them.

你若在一省之中见穷人受欺压，并夺去公义公平的事，不要因此诧异；因有一位高过居高位的鉴察，在他们以上还有更高的。

你若在一个地区看见穷人受欺压，公义公平被掠夺，不要因此惊奇；有一位高过居高位的在鉴察，在他们之上还有更高的。

你若在一个地区看见穷人受欺压，公义公平被掠夺，不要因此惊奇；有一位高过居高位的在鉴察，在他们之上还有更高的。

若你在某地看见穷人受欺压，公平正义被扭曲，不要震惊，因为官上有官，在众官之上还有更高的官。

如果你在一省之中，看到穷人遭受欺压，公正和公义被夺去，也不必因此惊讶，因为高位者之上有较高的照应，在他们之上还有更高的。

如果你在某一省中看到穷人受欺压，公正和公义被夺去，不要因此感到惊奇，因为高位者之上有更高的在保护他，在他们之上还有更高的保护他们。

你若在一省之中見窮人受欺壓，並奪去公義公平的事，不要因此詫異；因有一位高過居高位的鑒察，在他們以上還有更高的。

你若在一個地區看見窮人受欺壓，公義公平被掠奪，不要因此驚奇；有一位高過居高位的在鑒察，在他們之上還有更高的。

你若在一個地區看見窮人受欺壓，公義公平被掠奪，不要因此驚奇；有一位高過居高位的在鑒察，在他們之上還有更高的。

若你在某地看見窮人受欺壓，公平正義被扭曲，不要震驚，因為官上有官，在眾官之上還有更高的官。

如果你在一省之中，看到窮人遭受欺壓，公正和公義被奪去，也不必因此驚訝，因為高位者之上有較高的照應，在他們之上還有更高的。

你若在一省之中見有窮乏人受欺壓、而公平公義的權利被剝奪，你不要因這事而詫異；因為有一位高於居高位者在鑒察着，而在他們以上還有更高的。

如果你在某一省中看到窮人受欺壓，公正和公義被奪去，不要因此感到驚奇，因為高位者之上有更高的在保護他，在他們之上還有更高的保護他們。

若在州中見貧者受虐、或見強者奪公義、勿以為異、蓋有居位較高者鑒之、又有更高者在焉、

爾觀州邑強暴、虐貧枉法、則勿殷憂、人雖居高位、更有尊於彼者、鑒察其所為、其上又有至尊至高者。

然有王受國人之服役、凡事究於國有益、或作王營謀農事於國為益莫大

If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.

Suppose you see poor people being mistreated somewhere. And what is being done to them isn’t right or fair. Don’t be surprised by that. One official is watched by a higher one. Officials who are even higher are watching both of them.

If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them.

Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.

If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation, because one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them.

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there are higher than they.

If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation, because one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for[ he that is] higher than the highest regardeth; and[ there be] higher than they.

If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them!

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, don’t marvel at the matter, for one official is eyed by a higher one, and there are officials over them.

“ Because of the devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the Lord;“ I will put him in the safety for which he longs.”

Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and power was on the side of their oppressors, but they had no one to comfort them.

Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

God takes His position in His assembly; He judges in the midst of the gods.

And you shall speak to him, saying,‘ This is what the Lord says:“ Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying,‘ The Lord says this:“ In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick up your blood, yours as well.” ’ ”Then Ahab said to Elijah,“ Have you found me, enemy of mine?” And he answered,“ I have found you, because you have given yourself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord.

Go over to Calneh and look, And go from there to Hamath the great, Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their territory greater than yours?Are you postponing the day of disaster, And would you bring near the seat of violence?Those who lie on beds of ivory, And lounge around on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the fattened cattle,Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves,Who drink wine from sacred bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils— Yet they have not grieved over the collapse of Joseph.

I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.

The angel answered and said to her,“ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.

What do you mean by crushing My people And oppressing the face of the poor?” Declares the Lord God of armies.

Do horses run on rocks? Or does one plow them with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,

And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying,“ Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.And the angel said to him,“ Put on your belt and strap on your sandals.” And he did so. And he* said to him,“ Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture spoils and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets.Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to eliminate many nations.

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.And the angel said to me,“ Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

Confuse them, Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Is there still a person in the wicked house, Along with treasures of wickedness, And a short measure that is cursed?Can I justify dishonest balances, And a bag of fraudulent weights?For the rich people of the city are full of violence, Her residents speak lies, And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.So also I will make you sick, striking you down, Making you desolate because of your sins.

Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of the 185,000 were dead.

Are You not from time everlasting, Lord, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, Lord, have appointed them to deliver judgment; And You, O Rock, have destined them to punish.Your eyes are too pure to look at evil, And You cannot look at harm favorably. Why do You look favorably At those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Offending and denying the Lord, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.Truth is lacking, And one who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.And He saw that there was no one, And was amazed that there was not one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.

How long, Lord, have I called for help, And You do not hear? I cry out to You,“ Violence!” Yet You do not save.Why do You make me see disaster, And make me look at destitution? Yes, devastation and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.

For what is the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life, When God requires his life?Will God hear his cry When distress comes upon him?Or will he take pleasure in the Almighty? Will he call on God at all times?I will instruct you in the power of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.Behold, all of you have seen it; Why then do you talk of nothing?“ This is the portion of a wicked person from God, And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty:Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.His survivors will be buried because of the plague, And their widows will not be able to weep.Though he piles up silver like dust, And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,He may prepare it, but the righteous will wear it And the innocent will divide the silver.He has built his house like the spider’s web, Or a hut which the watchman has made.He lies down rich, but never again; He opens his eyes, and it no longer exists.Terrors overtake him like a flood; A storm steals him away in the night.The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; For it sweeps him away from his place.For it will hurl at him without mercy; He will certainly try to flee from its power.People will clap their hands at him, And will whistle at him from their places.

For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great, You who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes, And turn away the poor from justice at the gate.

So that they will know that You alone, whose name is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.

“ Behold, the rulers of Israel, each according to his power, have been among you for the purpose of shedding blood.They have treated father and mother with contempt among you. They have oppressed the stranger in your midst; they have oppressed the orphan and the widow among you.You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.Slanderous men have been among you for the purpose of shedding blood, and among you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have committed outrageous sin.Among you they have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; among you they have abused her who was unclean in her menstruation.And one has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife, another has outrageously defiled his daughter in law, and another among you has sexually abused his sister, his father’s daughter.Among you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest, you have injured your neighbors by oppression, and you have forgotten Me,” declares the Lord God.“ Behold, then, I strike with My hand your profit which you have made and the bloodshed which is among you.Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong for the days that I will deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken and will act.

Hear this, you who trample the needy, to put an end to the humble of the land,saying,“ When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain; And the Sabbath, so that we may open the wheat market, To make the ephah smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales,So as to buy the helpless for money, And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob,“ Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.

The Lord of armies says this:‘ If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of armies.

For this is what the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, says:“ I dwell in a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.

Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will make Your ear attentiveTo vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that mankind, which is of the earth, will no longer cause terror.

The righteous will rejoice when he sees vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.And people will say,“ There certainly is a reward for the righteous; There certainly is a God who judges on the earth!”

“ Then I will come near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, those who oppress the wage earner in his wages or the widow or the orphan, and those who turn away the stranger from justice and do not fear Me,” says the Lord of armies.

Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying,‘ My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a distant country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, I will certainly do it.

Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

Woe to those who devise wrongdoing, Who practice evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, Because it is in the power of their hands.They covet fields, so they seize them; And houses, so they take them. They exploit a man and his house, A person and his inheritance.Therefore this is what the Lord says:“ Behold, I am planning against this family a catastrophe From which you cannot remove your necks; And you will not walk haughtily, For it will be an evil time.

For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,to do whatever Your hand and purpose predestined to occur.

For the vineyard of the Lord of armies is the house of Israel, And the people of Judah are His delightful plant. So He waited for justice, but behold, there was bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say,“ I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the arrogant pride of his eyes.”

And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw and was sorry about the catastrophe, and said to the destroying angel,“ It is enough; now relax your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.Then David raised his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you;

And you, child, also will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;

And I said,“ Hear now, you leaders of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?You who hate good and love evil, Who tear off their skin from them And their flesh from their bones,Who eat the flesh of my people, Strip off their skin from them, Smash their bones, And chop them up as for the pot, And as meat in a cauldron!”Then they will cry out to the Lord, But He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time Because they have practiced evil deeds.

For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods,

Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth eaten.Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of armies.You have lived for pleasure on the earth and lived luxuriously; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.You have condemned and put to death the righteous person; he offers you no resistance.Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.

Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

“ But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood, And on practicing oppression and extortion.”Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:“ They will not mourn for him:‘ Oh, my brother!’ or,‘ Oh, sister!’ They will not mourn for him:‘ Oh, for the master!’ or,‘ Oh, for his splendor!’He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

You evict the women of My people, Each one from her pleasant house. From her children you take My splendor forever.

“ This is what the Lord of armies has said:‘ Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother;and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder and plugged their ears from hearing.They also made their hearts as hard as a diamond so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the Lord of armies had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of armies.And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of armies;

May a slanderer not endure on the earth; May evil hunt a violent person violently.”I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor.

Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who despise justice And twist everything that is straight,Who build Zion with bloodshed, And Jerusalem with malice.Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,“ Is the Lord not in our midst? Catastrophe will not come upon us.”Therefore on account of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.

For he has oppressed and neglected the poor; He has seized a house which he has not built.“ Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires.Nothing remains for him to devour, Therefore his prosperity does not endure.In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.When he fills his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him And rain it on him while he is eating.He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.It is drawn and comes out of his back, Even the flashing point from his gallbladder; Terrors come upon him,Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures, And unfanned fire will devour him; It will consume the survivor in his tent.The heavens will reveal his guilt, And the earth will rise up against him.The increase of his house will disappear; His possessions will flow away on the day of His anger.This is a wicked person’s portion from God, The inheritance decreed to him by God.”