Psalm 10–12

Psalm 10^a

¹Why, Lord, do you stand far off?^z

Why do you hide yourself^a in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,^b

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³He boasts^c about the cravings of his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.^d

⁴In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;

in all his thoughts there is no room for God.^e

⁵His ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected by^b him;

he sneers at all his enemies.

⁶He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”

He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”^f

⁷His mouth is full^g of lies and threats;^h

trouble and evil are under his tongue.ⁱ

⁸He lies in wait^j near the villages;

from ambush he murders the innocent.^k

His eyes watch in secret for his victims;

⁹like a lion in cover he lies in wait.

He lies in wait to catch the helpless;^l

he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.^m

¹⁰His victims are crushed,ⁿ they collapse;

they fall under his strength.

¹¹He says to himself, “God will never notice;^o

he covers his face and never sees.”^p

¹²Arise,^q Lord! Lift up your hand,^r O God.

Do not forget the helpless.^s

¹³Why does the wicked man revile God?^t

Why does he say to himself,

“He won’t call me to account”?^u

¹⁴But you, God, see the trouble^v of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;^w

you are the helper^x of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked man;^y

call the evildoer to account for his wickedness

that would not otherwise be found out.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever;^z

the nations^a will perish from his land.

¹⁷You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;^b

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,^c

¹⁸defending the fatherless^d and the oppressed,^e

so that mere earthly mortals

will never again strike terror.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

¹In the Lord I take refuge.^f

How then can you say to me:

“Flee^g like a bird to your mountain.^h

²For look, the wicked bend their bows;ⁱ

they set their arrows^j against the strings

to shoot from the shadows^k

at the upright in heart.^l

³When the foundations^m are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple;ⁿ

the Lord is on his heavenly throne.^o

He observes everyone on earth;^p

his eyes examine^q them.

⁵The Lord examines the righteous,^r

but the wicked, those who love violence,

he hates with a passion.^s

⁶On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulfur;^t

a scorching wind^u will be their lot.

⁷For the Lord is righteous,^v

he loves justice;^w

the upright^x will see his face.^y

Psalm 12^a

For the director of music. According to sheminith.^b A psalm of David.

¹Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;^z

those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

²Everyone lies^a to their neighbor;

they flatter with their lips

but harbor deception in their hearts.^b

³May the Lord silence all flattering lips^c

and every boastful tongue—^d

⁴those who say,

“By our tongues we will prevail;^e

our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

⁵“Because the poor are plundered^f and the needy groan,^g

I will now arise,^h” says the Lord.

“I will protect themⁱ from those who malign them.”

⁶And the words of the Lord are flawless,^j

like silver purified^k in a crucible,^l

like gold^c refined seven times.

⁷You, Lord, will keep the needy safe^m

and will protect us forever from the wicked,ⁿ

⁸who freely strut^o about

when what is vile is honored by the human race.