4:12 But they do not know what the Lord is planning;
they do not understand his strategy.
He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed 1 at the threshing floor.
7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil; 2
government officials and judges take bribes, 3
prominent men make demands,
and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them. 4
1 tn The words “to be threshed” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation to make it clear that the
2 tn Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”
3 tn Heb “the official asks – and the judge – for a bribe.”
4 tn More literally, “the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together.” Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man’s desires materialize.