Psalm 10

Psalm 10

¹Lord, why are you so far away?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

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

He catches weak people by making clever plans.

³He brags about what his heart longs for.

He speaks well of those who always want more.

He attacks the Lord with his words.

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

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

⁵Everything 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.

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

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

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

With his tongue he speaks evil and makes trouble.

⁸Sinful 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.

⁹They 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.

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

They fall because their attackers are too strong for them.

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

He covers his face. He never sees us.”

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

Don’t forget those who are helpless.

¹³Why do sinful people attack you with their words?

Why do they say to themselves,

“He won’t hold us accountable”?

¹⁴God, 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.

¹⁵Take away the power of bad and sinful people.

Hold them accountable for the evil things they do.

Uncover all the evil they have done.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever.

The nations will disappear from his land.

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

You cheer them up and give them hope.

You listen to their cries.

¹⁸You 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.