The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

下流人在世人中升高，就有恶人到处游行。

卑鄙的人在世人中高升时，就有恶人四处横行。

卑鄙的人在世人中高升时，就有恶人四处横行。

众人若抑善扬恶，恶人必横行无忌。

恶人到处横行，邪恶在世人中被高举。

卑劣的事在世人中受尊崇时，恶人就四处横行。

下流人在世人中升高，就有惡人到處遊行。

卑鄙的人在世人中高升時，就有惡人四處橫行。

卑鄙的人在世人中高升時，就有惡人四處橫行。

眾人若抑善揚惡，惡人必橫行無忌。

惡人到處橫行，邪惡在世人中被高舉。

雖有惡人到處橫行，你卻輕蔑下流人像蛆蟲。

卑劣的事在世人中受尊崇時，惡人就四處橫行。

庸劣居於人上、惡者隨在而遨遊兮、

維彼惡人、以遨以遊、若狂風之驟起兮。

卑陋人升居高位、各處有惡人傲然而行、

主必濟窮民。莫隨斯世溺。

who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Proud and sinful people walk around openly when the evil they do is praised by the human race.

On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.

The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

The wicked strut about on every side When vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.

The wicked walk on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

The wicked wander everywhere, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

for the wicked seem to be everywhere, when people promote evil.

The wicked walk on every side, when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.

And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

They were sons of fools, Yes, sons of vile men; They were scourged from the land.

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said,“ What further need do we have of witnesses?You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him,“ Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.

Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.The foolish person will no longer be called generous, Nor the miser said to be bountiful;For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus— the people of Mordecai.In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur( that is, the lot), before Haman to determine the day and the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus,“ There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain.If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.And the king said to Haman,“ The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.”Then the king’s scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded— to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the officials of all people, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king’s signet ring.And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions.A copy of the document was to be issued as law in every province, being published for all people, that they should be ready for that day.The couriers went out, hastened by the king’s command; and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.

Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, Because he willingly walked by human precept.

For the statutes of Omri are kept; All the works of Ahab’s house are done; And you walk in their counsels, That I may make you a desolation, And your inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people.”

If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.

Day and night they go around it on its walls; Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.Destruction is in its midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

Then Saul said to David,“ Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought,“ Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”So David said to Saul,“ Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”

but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother—if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!”And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years,God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers.And the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech.Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.So they went out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and made merry. And they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.Then Gaal the son of Ebed said,“ Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?If only this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” So he said to Abimelech,“ Increase your army and come out!”When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was aroused.And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying,“ Take note! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are, fortifying the city against you.Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field.And it shall be, as soon as the sun is up in the morning, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them as you find opportunity.”So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from lying in wait.And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul,“ Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!” But Zebul said to him,“ You see the shadows of the mountains as if they were men.”So Gaal spoke again and said,“ See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the Diviners’ Terebinth Tree.”Then Zebul said to him,“ Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you said,‘ Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now.”So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate.Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech.So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. And he looked, and there were the people, coming out of the city; and he rose against them and attacked them.Then Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and the other two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed them.So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith.And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him,“ What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done.”So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and took it.But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women— all the people of the city— fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the tower.So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire.But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.Then he called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him,“ Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me,‘ A woman killed him.’” So his young man thrust him through, and he died.And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place.Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.