1. I am depressed!Indeed, it is as if the summer fruit has been gathered,and the grapes have been harvested.There is no grape cluster to eat,no fresh figs that I crave so much.
2. Faithful men have disappeared from the land;there are no godly men left.They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood;they hunt their own brother with a net.
3. They are determined to be experts at doing evil;government officials and judges take bribes,prominent men make demands, and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them.
4. The best of them is like a thorn;the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes.The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way,and then you will experience confusion.
5. Do not rely on a friend;do not trust a companion!Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms!
6. For a son thinks his father is a fool,a daughter challenges her mother,and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law;a man’s enemies are his own servants.
7. But I will keep watching for the Lord;I will wait for the God who delivers me.My God will hear my lament.