Psalm 10–12

Psalm 10

¹Why are you so distant, Lord? 

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 

²The wicked person arrogantly pursues oppressed people. 

He will be caught in the schemes that he planned. 

³The wicked person boasts about his selfish desires. 

He blesses robbers, but he curses the Lord. 

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

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

⁵He always seems to succeed. 

Your judgments are beyond his understanding. 

He spits at all his opponents. 

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

I’ll never face any trouble.” 

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

Trouble and wrongdoing are on the tip of his tongue. 

⁸He waits in ambush in the villages. 

From his hiding places he kills innocent people. 

His eyes are on the lookout for victims. 

⁹He 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. 

¹¹He says to himself, 

“God has forgotten. 

He has hidden his face. 

He will never see it!” 

¹²Arise, O Lord! 

Lift your hand, O God. 

Do not forget oppressed people! 

¹³Why does the wicked person despise God? 

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

¹⁴You 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. 

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evil person. 

Punish his wickedness until you find no more. 

¹⁶The Lord is king forever and ever. 

The nations have vanished from his land. 

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

You encourage them. 

You pay close attention to them 

¹⁸in order to provide justice for orphans and oppressed people 

so that no mere mortal will terrify them again. 

Psalm 11

For the choir director; by David. 

¹I have taken refuge in the Lord. 

How can you say to me: 

“Flee to your mountain like a bird? 

²Wicked people bend their bows. 

They set their arrows against the strings 

to shoot in the dark at people whose motives are decent. 

³When the foundations ⸤of life⸥ are undermined, 

what can a righteous person do?” 

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple. 

The Lord’s throne is in heaven. 

His eyes see. 

They examine Adam’s descendants. 

⁵The Lord tests righteous people, 

but he hates wicked people and the ones who love violence. 

⁶He rains down fire and burning sulfur upon wicked people. 

He makes them drink from a cup filled with scorching wind. 

⁷The Lord is righteous. 

He loves a righteous way of life. 

Decent people will see his face. 

Psalm 12

For the choir director; on the sheminith; a psalm by David. 

¹Help, O Lord. 

No godly person is left. 

Faithful people have vanished from among Adam’s descendants! 

²All people speak foolishly. 

They speak with flattering lips. They say one thing but mean another. 

³May the Lord cut off every flattering lip 

and every bragging tongue 

⁴that has said, 

“We will overcome with our tongues. 

With lips such as ours, who can be our master?” 

⁵“Because oppressed people are robbed and needy people groan, 

I will now arise,” says the Lord. 

“I will provide safety for those who long for it.” 

⁶The promises of the Lord are pure, 

like silver refined in a furnaceand purified seven times. 

⁷O Lord, you will protect them. 

You will keep each one safe from those people forever. 

⁸Wicked people parade around 

when immorality increases among Adam’s descendants.