who says to a king, ¹  ‘Worthless man’ ²  and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,’

He says, ¹  “How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism to the wicked? ²  (Selah)

You make mankind return ¹  to the dust, ²  and say, “Return, O people!”

in order to protect him from times of trouble, ¹  until the wicked are destroyed. ² 

Cruel rulers ¹  are not your allies, those who make oppressive laws. ² 

who delivers ¹  your life from the Pit, ²  who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

The fear of the Lord is to hate ¹  evil; I hate arrogant pride ²  and the evil way and perverse utterances. ³ 

The lips of the righteous know ¹  what is pleasing, ²  but the speech ³  of the wicked is perverse.

Like a muddied ¹  spring and a polluted ²  well, so is a righteous person who gives way ³  before the wicked.

When the wicked gain control, ¹  people ²  hide themselves, ³  but when they perish, ⁴  the righteous increase.

The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. ¹  Who can understand it?

Those who revolt are knee-deep in slaughter, ¹  but I will discipline them all. ² 

In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad ¹  tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.

Tax collectors ¹  also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, ¹  but are made powerful by God ²  for tearing down strongholds. ³  We tear down arguments ⁴ 

You know ¹  that such a person is twisted by sin ²  and is conscious of it himself. ³ 

But you do have this going for you: ¹  You hate what the Nicolaitans ²  practice ³  – practices I also hate.

In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹ 

which you commanded us through your servants the prophets with these words: ¹  ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the impurities of the local residents! ²  With their abominations they have filled it from one end to the other with their filthiness.