NEED FOR GOD’S JUSTICE

1 Lord,* * why do you stand so far away?h

Why do you hide in times of trouble?i

2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue their victims;

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

3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;k

the one who is greedy cursesD and despises the Lord.l

4 In all his scheming,

the wicked person arrogantly thinks,E

“There’s no accountability,

since there’s no God.”m

5 His ways are always secure;F

your lofty judgments have no effect on him;G

he scoffs at all his adversaries.n

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

from generation to generation I will be without calamity.”o

7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;

trouble and malice are under his tongue.p

8 He waits in ambush near settlements;q

he kills the innocent in secret places.

His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;r

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

He lurks in order to seize a victim;

he seizes a victim and drags him in his net.

10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;

helpless people fall because of the wicked one’s strength.s

11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;

he hides his face and will never see.”t