Psalm 94

Psalm 94

¹O Lord, God of vengeance, 

O God of vengeance, appear! 

²Arise, O Judge of the earth. 

Give arrogant people what they deserve. 

³How long, O Lord, will wicked people triumph? 

How long? 

⁴They ramble. 

They speak arrogantly. 

All troublemakers brag about themselves. 

⁵They crush your people, O Lord. 

They make those who belong to you suffer. 

⁶They kill widows and foreigners, and they murder orphans. 

⁷They say, “The Lord doesn’t see it. 

The God of Jacob doesn’t even pay attention to it.” 

⁸Pay attention, you stupid people! 

When will you become wise, you fools? 

⁹God created ears. 

Do you think he can’t hear? 

He formed eyes. 

Do you think he can’t see? 

¹⁰He disciplines nations. 

Do you think he can’t punish? 

He teaches people. 

Do you think he doesn’t know anything? 

¹¹The Lord knows that people’s thoughts are pointless. 

¹²O Lord, blessed is the person 

whom you discipline and instruct from your teachings. 

¹³You give him peace and quiet from times of trouble 

while a pit is dug to trap wicked people. 

¹⁴The Lord will never desert his people 

or abandon those who belong to him. 

¹⁵The decisions of judges will again become fair, 

and everyone whose motives are decent will pursue justice. 

¹⁶Who will stand up for me against evildoers? 

Who will stand by my side against troublemakers? 

¹⁷If the Lord had not come to help me, 

my soul would have quickly fallen silent ⸤in death⸥. 

¹⁸When I said, “My feet are slipping,” 

your mercy, O Lord, continued to hold me up. 

¹⁹When I worried about many things, 

your assuring words soothed my soul. 

²⁰Are wicked rulers who use the law to do unlawful things 

able to be your partners? 

²¹They join forces to take the lives of righteous people. 

They condemn innocent people to death. 

²²The Lord has become my stronghold. 

My God has become my rock of refuge. 

²³He has turned their own wickedness against them. 

He will destroy them because of their sins. 

The Lord our God will destroy them.