² Lord, how long must I ·ask [cry; call] for help
    and you ·ignore [do not hear] me?
I cry out to you ·about violence [or “Violence!”],
    but you do not ·save [rescue] us!
³ Why do you make me see ·wrong things [evil; iniquity; injustice]
    and make me look at ·trouble [wrongdoing]?
·People are destroying things and hurting others [^LDestruction and violence are] in front of me;
    ·they are arguing and fighting [^Lstrife and conflict arise].
⁴ So the ·teachings [law; instruction; ^LTorah] are ·weak [paralyzed],
    and justice never comes.
Evil people ·gain while good people lose [^Lsurround/hem in the righteous];
    ·the judges no longer make fair decisions [^Lso justice is perverted].

⁵ “Look at the nations!
    Watch them and be ·amazed and shocked [utterly astounded].
I will do something in your ·lifetime [^Ldays]
    that you won’t believe even when you are told about it.
⁶ I will ·use [raise up] the ·Babylonians [^LChaldeans],
    those ·cruel [ruthless; bitter] and ·wild [impetuous; hasty] people
who march across the earth
    and ·take lands [^Lseize dwellings] that don’t belong to them.
⁷ They scare and ·frighten [terrify] people.
    ·They do what they want to do
    and are good only to themselves [^LTheir justice/judgment and dignity proceed from themselves].
⁸ Their horses are faster than leopards
    and ·quicker [fiercer] than wolves ·at sunset [^Lof the evening].
Their ·horse soldiers [cavalry] attack quickly;
    they come from places far away.
They attack quickly, like an ·eagle [or vulture] ·swooping down for food [swift to devour].
⁹ They all come ·to fight [^Lfor violence].
·Nothing can stop them [or …a horde moving like an east wind; or …their faces set forward].
    Their prisoners are ·as many as the grains of [^Llike] sand.
¹⁰ They ·laugh at [mock] kings
    and make fun of rulers.
They laugh at all the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities
    and build ·dirt piles to the top of the walls [earthen siege ramps] to capture them.
¹¹ Then they ·leave [sweep by] like the wind and move on.
    They are guilty of ·worshiping their own strength [making their strength their god; or ascribing their strength to their gods].”

¹² Lord, ·you live forever [^Lare you not from everlasting…?],
    my God, my holy God.
    We will not die.
Lord, you ·have chosen the Babylonians to punish people [appointed them for judgment];
    our Rock [Ps. 61:2], you picked them to punish.
¹³ Your eyes are too ·good [pure] to look at evil;
    you cannot ·stand to see [tolerate; look on] those who do wrong.
So how can you put up with those ·evil [treacherous] people?
    How can you be quiet when the wicked swallow up people who are ·better [more righteous] than they are?
¹⁴ You ·treat [or made] people like fish in the sea,
    like sea animals without a ·leader [ruler].
¹⁵ ·The enemy [^LHe] brings them in with hooks.
    He catches them in his net
and ·drags [gathers] them in his ·fishnet [dragnet].
    So he rejoices and ·sings for joy [is glad].
¹⁶ The enemy offers sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense to ·worship it [^Lhis dragnet],
because it lets him live ·like the rich [in luxury]
    and enjoy ·the best [or plentiful] food.
¹⁷ Will he keep on ·taking riches with [^Lemptying] his net?
    Will he go on destroying ·people [nations] without showing mercy?