Psalm 10–12

Psalm 10

¹Lord, ^fgwhy do You stand so far away? ^h

Why do You hide in times of trouble? ⁱ

²In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;

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

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

the one who is greedy curses ^land despises the Lord. ^m

⁴In all his scheming,

the wicked arrogantly thinks: ⁿ

“There is no accountability,

since God does not exist.” ^o

⁵His ways are always secure; ^p

Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;

he scoffs at all his adversaries. ^q

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

from generation to generation without calamity.” ^r

⁷Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;

trouble and malice are under his tongue. ^s

⁸He waits in ambush near the villages; ^t

he kills the innocent in secret places.

His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless; ^u

⁹he 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.

¹⁰So he is oppressed and beaten down;

the helpless fall because of his strength. ^v

¹¹He says to himself, “God has forgotten;

He hides His face and will never see.” ^w

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

Do not forget the afflicted. ^y

¹³Why has the wicked person despised God?

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

¹⁴But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,

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

The helpless entrusts himself to You;

You are a helper of the fatherless. ^b

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evil person; ^c

call his wickedness into account

until nothing remains of it. ^de

¹⁶The Lord is King forever and ever; ^f

the nations will perish from His land. ^g

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

You will strengthen their hearts.

You will listen carefully, ⁱ

¹⁸doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed

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

Psalm 11

Refuge in the Lord

For the choir director. Davidic.

¹I have taken refuge in the Lord. ^k

How can you say to me,

“Escape to the mountain like a bird! ^lm

²For look, the wicked string the bow;

they put the ⁿarrow on the bowstring

to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. ^o

³When the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?” ^p

⁴The Lord is in His holy temple; ^q

the Lord’s throne is in heaven. ^r

His eyes watch; He examines ^severyone.

⁵The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.

He hates the lover of violence. ^t

⁶He will rain burning coals ^uand sulfur on the wicked;

a scorching wind will be their portion. ^vw

⁷For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds.

The upright will see His face. ^x

Psalm 12

Oppression by the Wicked

For the choir director: according to Sheminith. ^yA Davidic psalm.

¹Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;

the loyal have disappeared from the human race. ^z

²They lie to one another;

they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. ^a

³May the Lord cut off all flattering lips

and the tongue that speaks boastfully. ^b

⁴They say, “Through our tongues we have power; ^c

our lips are our own—who can be our master?” ^d

⁵“Because of the oppression of the afflicted

and the groaning of the poor,

I will now rise up,” says the Lord.

“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.” ^e

⁶The words of the Lord are pure words,

like silver refined in an earthen furnace,

purified seven times. ^f

⁷You, Lord, will guard us; ^g

You will protect us ^hfrom this generation forever. ⁱ

⁸The wicked wander ^jeverywhere,

and what is worthless is exalted by the human race. ^k