2 When they say, “As the Lord lives,”af

they are swearing falsely.ag

3 Lord, don’t your eyes look for faithfulness?ah

You have struck them, but they felt no pain.ai

You finished them off,

but they refused to accept discipline.aj

They made their faces harder than rock,ak

and they refused to return.al

4 Then I thought:

They are just the poor;

they have been foolish.

For they don’t understand the way of the Lord,a

the justice of their God.b

5 I will go to the powerful

and speak to them.

Surely they know the way of the Lord,

the justice of their God.c

However, these also had broken the yoke

and torn off the chains.d

6 Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.e

A wolf from arid plains will ravage them.

A leopardf stalks their cities.

Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces

because their rebellious acts are many,g

their unfaithful deeds numerous.h