18. Should anyone ⌊even⌋ say to a king,‘You good-for-nothing scoundrel!’or to nobles, ‘You wicked people!’
19. The one who is righteous and mightydoes not grant special favors to princesor prefer important people over poor peoplebecause his hands made them all.
20. They die suddenly in the middle of the night.People have seizures and pass away.Mighty people are taken away but not by human hands.
21. God’s eyes are on a person’s ways.He sees all his steps.
22. There’s no darkness or deep shadowwhere troublemakers can hide.
23. He doesn’t have to set a time for a personin order to bring him to divine judgment.
24. He breaks mighty people into pieces without examining themand puts others in their places.
25. He knows what they do,so he overthrows them at night, and they’re crushed.
26. In return for their evil, he strikes them in public,
27. because they turned away from following himand didn’t consider any of his ways.
28. They forced the poor to cry out to him,and he hears the cry of those who suffer.
29. If he keeps quiet, who can condemn him?If he hides his face, who can see himwhether it is a nation or a single person?
30. ⌊He does this⌋ so that godless people cannot ruleand so that they cannot trap people.
31. “But suppose such a person says to God, ‘I am guilty,I will stop my immoral behavior.
32. Teach me what I cannot see.If I’ve done wrong, I won’t do it again.’
33. Should God reward you on your own terms since you have rejected his?You must choose, not I.Tell me what you know. Speak!
34. “People of understanding, the wise peoplewho listen to me, will say,