26  For wicked men are found among my people;

^rthey lurk like fowlers lying in wait.¹

^sThey set a trap;

they catch men.

27  Like a cage full of birds,

their houses are full of deceit;

therefore they have become great and rich;

28  ^tthey have grown fat and sleek.

They know no bounds in deeds of evil;

^uthey judge not with justice

the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper,

and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

29  ^vShall I not punish them for these things?

declares the Lord,

and shall I not avenge myself

on a nation such as this?”