1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.

3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.

4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;

all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

5 His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, out of his sight;

as for all his foes, he puffs at them.

6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”

7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;

under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.

8 He sits in ambush in the villages;

in hiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;

he lurks that he may seize the poor;

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.

10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,

and fall by his might.

11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,

he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;

forget not the afflicted.

13 Why does the wicked renounce God

and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?

14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless commits himself;

you have been the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

call his wickedness to account till you find none.

16 The Lord is king forever and ever;

the nations perish from his land.

17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

1 Why standest thou afar off, O Lord?

Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor:

Let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire,

And blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.

4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God:

God is not in all his thoughts.

5 His ways are always grievous;

Thy judgments are far above out of his sight:

As for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved:

For I shall never be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud:

Under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages:

In the secret places doth he murder the innocent:

His eyes are privily set against the poor.

9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den:

He lieth in wait to catch the poor:

He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself,

That the poor may fall by his strong ones.

11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten:

He hideth his face; he will never see it.

12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand:

Forget not the humble.

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God?

He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite,

To requite it with thy hand:

The poor committeth himself unto thee;

Thou art the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man:

Seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever:

The heathen are perished out of his land.

17 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble:

Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may no more oppress.

1 O Lord, why do you stand so far away?

Why do you hide when I am in trouble?

2 The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.

Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.

3 For they brag about their evil desires;

they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

4 The wicked are too proud to seek God.

They seem to think that God is dead.

5 Yet they succeed in everything they do.

They do not see your punishment awaiting them.

They sneer at all their enemies.

6 They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!

We will be free of trouble forever!”

7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.

Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.

8 They lurk in ambush in the villages,

waiting to murder innocent people.

They are always searching for helpless victims.

9 Like lions crouched in hiding,

they wait to pounce on the helpless.

Like hunters they capture the helpless

and drag them away in nets.

10 Their helpless victims are crushed;

they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.

11 The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!

He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

12 Arise, O Lord!

Punish the wicked, O God!

Do not ignore the helpless!

13 Why do the wicked get away with despising God?

They think, “God will never call us to account.”

14 But you see the trouble and grief they cause.

You take note of it and punish them.

The helpless put their trust in you.

You defend the orphans.

15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!

Go after them until the last one is destroyed.

16 The Lord is king forever and ever!

The godless nations will vanish from the land.

17 Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.

Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,

so mere people can no longer terrify them.

1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?

2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;

Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;

He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;

God is in none of his thoughts.

5 His ways are always prospering;

Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;

As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

I shall never be in adversity.”

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;

Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages;

In the secret places he murders the innocent;

His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;

He lies in wait to catch the poor;

He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

10 So he crouches, he lies low,

That the helpless may fall by his strength.

11 He has said in his heart,

“God has forgotten;

He hides His face;

He will never see.”

12 Arise, O Lord!

O God, lift up Your hand!

Do not forget the humble.

13 Why do the wicked renounce God?

He has said in his heart,

“You will not require an account.”

14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,

To repay it by Your hand.

The helpless commits himself to You;

You are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;

Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;

The nations have perished out of His land.

17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear,

18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

1 Lord, why are you so far away?

Why do you hide when there is trouble?

2 Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer.

Let them be caught in their own traps.

3 They brag about the things they want.

They bless the greedy but hate the Lord.

4 The wicked people are too proud.

They do not look for God;

there is no room for God in their thoughts.

5 They always succeed.

They are far from keeping your laws;

they make fun of their enemies.

6 They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to me;

I will never be ruined.”

7 Their mouths are full of curses, lies, and threats;

they use their tongues for sin and evil.

8 They hide near the villages.

They look for innocent people to kill;

they watch in secret for the helpless.

9 They wait in hiding like a lion.

They wait to catch poor people;

they catch the poor in nets.

10 The poor are thrown down and crushed;

they are defeated because the others are stronger.

11 The wicked think, “God has forgotten us.

He doesn’t see what is happening.”

12 Lord, rise up and punish the wicked.

Don’t forget those who need help.

13 Why do wicked people hate God?

They say to themselves, “God won’t punish us.”

14 Lord, surely you see these cruel and evil things;

look at them and do something.

People in trouble look to you for help.

You are the one who helps the orphans.

15 Break the power of wicked people.

Punish them for the evil they have done.

16 The Lord is King forever and ever.

Destroy from your land those nations that do not worship you.

17 Lord, you have heard what the poor people want.

Do what they ask, and listen to them.

18 Protect the orphans and put an end to suffering

so they will no longer be afraid of evil people.

1 Why standest thou afar off, O Jehovah?

Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

2 In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued;

Let them be taken in the devices that they have conceived.

3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire,

And the covetous renounceth, yea, contemneth Jehovah.

4 The wicked, in the pride of his countenance, saith,

He will not require it.

All his thoughts are,

There is no God.

5 His ways are firm at all times;

Thy judgments are far above out of his sight:

As for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them.

6 He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved;

To all generations I shall not be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression:

Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages;

In the secret places doth he murder the innocent;

His eyes are privily set against the helpless.

9 He lurketh in secret as a lion in his covert;

He lieth in wait to catch the poor:

He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him in his net.

10 He croucheth, he boweth down,

And the helpless fall by his strong ones.

11 He saith in his heart, God hath forgotten;

He hideth his face; he will never see it.

12 Arise, O Jehovah; O God, lift up thy hand:

Forget not the poor.

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God,

And say in his heart,

Thou wilt not require it?

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand:

The helpless committeth himself unto thee;

Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked;

And as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 Jehovah is King for ever and ever:

The nations are perished out of his land.

17 Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the meek:

Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear;

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,

That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more.

1 Why, Jehovah, standest thou afar off? Why hidest thou thyself in times of distress? 2 The wicked, in his pride, doth hotly pursue the afflicted. They shall be taken in the devices that they have imagined. 3 For the wicked boasteth of his soul’s desire, and he blesseth the covetous; he contemneth Jehovah. 4 The wicked saith, in the haughtiness of his countenance, He doth not search out: all his thoughts are, There is no God! 5 His ways always succeed; thy judgments are far above out of his sight; as for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them. 6 He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved; from generation to generation I shall be in no adversity. 7 His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and oppression; under his tongue is mischief and iniquity. 8 He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; in the secret places doth he slay the innocent: his eyes watch for the wretched. 9 He lieth in wait secretly, like a lion in his thicket; he lieth in wait to catch the afflicted: he doth catch the afflicted, drawing him into his net. 10 He croucheth, he boweth down, that the wretched may fall by his strong ones. 11 He saith in his heart, •God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will never see it.

12 Arise, Jehovah; O •God, lift up thy hand: forget not the afflicted. 13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 14 Thou hast seen it, for thou thyself beholdest trouble and vexation, to requite by thy hand. The wretched committeth himself unto thee; thou hast been the helper of the fatherless. 15 Break thou the arm of the wicked, and as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none. 16 Jehovah is King for ever and ever: the nations have perished out of his land. 17 Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the meek, thou hast established their heart: thou causest thine ear to hear, 18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed one, that the man of the earth may terrify no more.

1 Why are you so distant, Lord? 

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 

2 The wicked person arrogantly pursues oppressed people. 

He will be caught in the schemes that he planned. 

3 The wicked person boasts about his selfish desires. 

He blesses robbers, but he curses the Lord. 

4 He turns up his nose ⸤and says⸥, “God doesn’t care.” 

His every thought ⸤concludes⸥, “There is no God.” 

5 He always seems to succeed. 

Your judgments are beyond his understanding. 

He spits at all his opponents. 

6 He says to himself, “Nothing can shake me. 

I’ll never face any trouble.” 

7 His mouth is full of cursing, deception, and oppression. 

Trouble and wrongdoing are on the tip of his tongue. 

8 He waits in ambush in the villages. 

From his hiding places he kills innocent people. 

His eyes are on the lookout for victims. 

9 He lies in his hiding place like a lion in his den. 

He hides there to catch oppressed people. 

He catches oppressed people when he draws them into his net. 

10 ⸤His⸥ victims are crushed. 

They collapse, 

and they fall under ⸤the weight of⸥ his power. 

11 He says to himself, 

“God has forgotten. 

He has hidden his face. 

He will never see it!” 

12 Arise, O Lord! 

Lift your hand, O God. 

Do not forget oppressed people! 

13 Why does the wicked person despise God? 

Why does he say to himself, “God doesn’t care”? 

14 You have seen ⸤it⸥; yes, you have taken note of trouble and grief 

and placed them under your control. 

The victim entrusts himself to you. 

You alone have been the helper of orphans. 

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person. 

Punish his wickedness until you find no more. 

16 The Lord is king forever and ever. 

The nations have vanished from his land. 

17 You have heard the desire of oppressed people, O Lord. 

You encourage them. 

You pay close attention to them 

18 in order to provide justice for orphans and oppressed people 

so that no mere mortal will terrify them again. 

1 Lord, why do You stand so far away?

Why do You hide in times of trouble?

2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;

let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;

the one who is greedy curses and despises the Lord.

4 In all his scheming,

the wicked arrogantly thinks:

“There is no accountability,

since God does not exist.”

5 His ways are always secure;

Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;

he scoffs at all his adversaries.

6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—

from generation to generation without calamity.”

7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;

trouble and malice are under his tongue.

8 He waits in ambush near the villages;

he kills the innocent in secret places.

His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;

9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.

He lurks in order to seize the afflicted;

he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.

10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;

the helpless fall because of his strength.

11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;

He hides His face and will never see.”

12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up Your hand.

Do not forget the afflicted.

13 Why has the wicked person despised God?

He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”

14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,

observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.

The helpless entrusts himself to You;

You are a helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person;

call his wickedness into account

until nothing remains of it.

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;

the nations will perish from His land.

17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will strengthen their hearts.

You will listen carefully,

18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed

so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.

1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—

let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,

those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.

4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;

all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”

5 Their ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, out of their sight;

as for their foes, they scoff at them.

6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;

throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”

7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;

under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.

8 They sit in ambush in the villages;

in hiding places they murder the innocent.

Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;

they lurk that they may seize the poor;

they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

10 They stoop, they crouch,

and the helpless fall by their might.

11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten,

he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;

do not forget the oppressed.

13 Why do the wicked renounce God,

and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,

that you may take it into your hands;

the helpless commit themselves to you;

you have been the helper of the orphan.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;

seek out their wickedness until you find none.

16 The Lord is king forever and ever;

the nations shall perish from his land.

17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;

you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear

18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,

so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

1 Why, O Yahweh, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide during times of distress?

2 In arrogance the wicked persecutes the poor.

Let them be caught in the schemes that they devised,

3 for the wicked boasts about the desire of his heart,

and the one greedy for gain curses and treats Yahweh with contempt.

4 With bald-faced pride the wicked will not seek God.

There is no God in any of his thoughts.

5 His ways endure at all times.

Your judgments are aloof from him.

As for all his enemies, he scoffs at them.

6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved

throughout all generations, during which I will have no trouble.”

7 His mouth is filled with cursing,

with deceits and oppression;

under his tongue are trouble and evil.

8 He sits in ambush in villages;

in the hiding places he kills the innocent.

His eyes lurk for the helpless.

9 He lies in ambush secretly, like a lion in a thicket.

He lies in ambush to seize the poor;

he seizes the poor by catching him in his net.

10 He is crushed; he is bowed down;

so the helpless host falls by his might.

11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten.

He has hidden his face.

He never sees.”

12 Rise up, O Yahweh;

O God, lift up your hand.

Do not forget the afflicted.

13 Why does the wicked treat God with contempt?

He says in his heart, “You will not call me to account.”

14 But you have seen; indeed you have noted trouble and grief

to take it into your hand.

The helpless abandons himself upon you;

you have been the helper for the orphan.

15 Break the arm of the wicked,

and as for the evil man—

seek out his wickedness until you find none.

16 Yahweh is king forever and ever;

the nations have perished from his land.

17 The longing of the afflicted you have heard, O Yahweh.

You will make their heart secure. You will listen attentively

18 to render judgment for the fatherless and the oppressed

so that a mere mortal from the earth will no longer cause terror.

1 Lord, why are you so far away?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 An evil person is proud and hunts down those who are weak.

He catches weak people by making clever plans.

3 He brags about what his heart longs for.

He speaks well of those who always want more.

He attacks the Lord with his words.

4 Because he is proud, that evil person doesn’t turn to the Lord.

There is no room for God in any of his thoughts.

5 Everything always goes well for him.

So he is proud.

He doesn’t want to have anything to do with God’s laws.

He makes fun of all of his enemies.

6 He says to himself, “I will always be secure.

I will always be happy. I’ll never have any trouble.”

7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and warnings.

With his tongue he speaks evil and makes trouble.

8 Sinful people hide and wait near the villages.

From their hiding places they murder those who aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong.

They watch in secret for those they want to attack.

9 They hide and wait like a lion in the bushes.

From their hiding places they wait to catch those who are helpless.

They catch them and drag them off in their nets.

10 Those they have attacked are beaten up. They fall to the ground.

They fall because their attackers are too strong for them.

11 Sinful people say to themselves, “God doesn’t pay any attention.

He covers his face. He never sees us.”

12 Lord, rise up! God, show your power!

Don’t forget those who are helpless.

13 Why do sinful people attack you with their words?

Why do they say to themselves,

“He won’t hold us accountable”?

14 God, you see trouble and sadness.

You take note of it. You do something about it.

So those who are attacked place themselves in your care.

You help children whose fathers have died.

15 Take away the power of bad and sinful people.

Hold them accountable for the evil things they do.

Uncover all the evil they have done.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever.

The nations will disappear from his land.

17 Lord, you hear the longings of those who are hurting.

You cheer them up and give them hope.

You listen to their cries.

18 You stand up for those whose fathers have died

and for those who have been beaten down.

You do it so that no one made of dust

may terrify others anymore.

1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?

Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted;

Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire,

And the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.

4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him.

All his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

5 His ways prosper at all times;

Your judgments are on high, out of his sight;

As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.

6 He says to himself, “I will not be moved;

Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.”

7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression;

Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.

8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages;

In the hiding places he kills the innocent;

His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.

9 He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair;

He lurks to catch the afflicted;

He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.

10 He crouches, he bows down,

And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.

11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;

He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand.

Do not forget the afflicted.

13 Why has the wicked spurned God?

He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”

14 You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand.

The unfortunate commits himself to You;

You have been the helper of the orphan.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,

Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;

Nations have perished from His land.

17 O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear

18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,

So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.