You punish our sins by your rebukes, and like a moth you destroy what we love. Indeed we are no more than a puff of wind!

When you threatened them, O God of Jacob, the horses and their riders fell dead.

Our enemies have set it on fire and cut it down; look at them in anger and destroy them!

I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins.

Why do you keep me under guard? Do you think I am a sea monster?

Should I try force? Try force on God? Should I take him to court? Could anyone make him go?

If God were human, I could answer him; we could go to court to decide our quarrel.

Will you even look at me, God, or put me on trial and judge me?

I want someone to plead with God for me, as one pleads for a friend.

Would God use all his strength against me? No, he would listen as I spoke.

I am honest; I could reason with God; he would declare me innocent once and for all.

God does not need to set a time for us to go and be judged by him.

If you kept a record of our sins, who could escape being condemned?

But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you.

Don't put me, your servant, on trial; no one is innocent in your sight.

God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.

The LORD is bringing the elders and leaders of his people to judgment. He makes this accusation: "You have plundered vineyards, and your houses are full of what you have taken from the poor.

You have no right to crush my people and take advantage of the poor. I, the Sovereign LORD Almighty, have spoken."