⁵ Look at me and be astonished;
^(A)Put your hand over your mouth.
⁶ Even when I remember I am terrified,
And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
^7 (B)Why do the wicked live and become old,
Yes, become mighty in power?
⁸ Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.
⁹ Their houses are safe from fear,
^(C)Neither is ^[a]the rod of God upon them.
¹⁰ Their bull breeds without failure;
Their cow calves ^(D)without miscarriage.
¹¹ They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.
¹² They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
¹³ They ^(E)spend their days in wealth,
And ^[b]in a moment go down to the ^[c]grave.
^14 (F)Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
^15 (G)Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And ^(H)what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’
¹⁶ Indeed ^[d]their prosperity is not in their hand;
^(I)The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

12 Righteous ^(A)are You, O Lord, when I plead with You;
Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.
^(B)Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?