² Faithful people have vanished from the land;^(A)
there is no one upright among the people.^(B)
All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;^(C)
they hunt each other with a net.^(D)
3 Both hands are good^(E) at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;^(F)
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.
⁴ The best of them is like a brier;^(G)
the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.^(H)
The day of your watchmen,
the day of your punishment, is coming;^(I)
at this time their panic is here.^(J)
5 Do not rely on a friend;^(K)
don’t trust in a close companion.
Seal your mouth
from the woman who lies in your arms.
⁶ Surely a son considers his father a fool,^(L)
a daughter opposes her mother,
and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.