16  “If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17  Shall one who hates justice govern?

^wWill you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

18  who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’

19  who ^xshows no partiality to princes,

nor regards the rich more than the poor,

for ^ythey are all the work of his hands?

20  In a moment they die;

at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

21  “For ^zhis eyes are on the ways of a man,

and he sees all his steps.

22  There is ^ano gloom or deep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.

23  For God¹ has no need to consider a man further,

that he should go before God in judgment.

24  He shatters the mighty without investigation

and ^bsets others in their place.

25  Thus, knowing their works,

he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.

26  He strikes them for their wickedness

in a place for all to see,

27  because they turned aside from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways,

28  so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,

and ^che heard the cry of the afflicted—

29  When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him,

whether it be a nation or a man?—

30  that a godless man should not reign,

that he should not ensnare the people.