28 “I said to myself, ‘Perhaps Babylon has been allowed to conquer Jerusalem because the people who live there are better than we are.’
29 But when I got to Babylon, I saw more sins than I could count, and now for thirty years I have seen many sinners here. So I was perplexed
30 when I saw how you tolerate sinners and do not punish them, how you protect your enemies and yet destroy your own people.
31 You haven't given anyone the faintest hint as to how these ways of yours can be changed. Surely Babylon is no better than Jerusalem.
32 No other nation, except Israel, has ever known you or accepted your covenants.
33 But Israel was never rewarded, and never profited from its labour. I have travelled widely in other nations, and I have seen how prosperous they are, although they don't keep your commands.
34 Now then, Lord, if you would just weigh our sins on the scales against those of the rest of the world, it would be perfectly clear that their sins are heavier.