18 צ (Tsade) The Lord is right to judge me! Yes, I rebelled against his commands. Please listen, all you nations, and look at my suffering! My young women and men have gone into exile. 19 ק (Qof) I called for my lovers, but they had deceived me. My priests and my elders perished in the city. Truly they had searched for food to keep themselves alive. 20 ר (Resh) Look, O Lord! I am distressed; my stomach is in knots! My heart is pounding inside me. Yes, I was terribly rebellious! Out in the street the sword bereaves a mother of her children; inside the house famine^* is present. 21 ש (Sin/Shin) They have heard that I groan, yet there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have brought it about. Bring about the day of judgment that you promised so that they may end up like me! 22 ת (Tav) Let all their wickedness come before you; afflict them just as you have afflicted me because of all my acts of rebellion. For my groans are many, and my heart is sick with sorrow.

12 Even die Gentiles ridiculed such crimes, compared to how they themselves acted. They made a public display of their evil deeds. 13 And you have judged the women of Jerusalem poluted, for they defiled themselves with sexual promiscuity. 14 Thinking about these things makes me sick to my stomach. 15 I will defend your justice, O God, with integrity, because your judgments are just, O God. 16 because you have repaid sinners according to their deeds and according to their exceedingly wicked sins.