Psalm 10a

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?z

Why do you hide yourselfa in times of trouble?

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

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

3 He boastsc about the cravings of his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.d

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

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

5 His ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected byb him;

he sneers at all his enemies.

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

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

7 His mouth is fullg of lies and threats;h

trouble and evil are under his tongue.i

8 He lies in waitj near the villages;

from ambush he murders the innocent.k

His eyes watch in secret for his victims;

9 like 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

10 His victims are crushed,n they collapse;

they fall under his strength.

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

he covers his face and never sees.”p

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

Do not forget the helpless.s

13 Why does the wicked man revile God?t

Why does he say to himself,

“He won’t call me to account”?u

14 But you, God, see the troublev of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;w

you are the helperx of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked man;y

call the evildoer to account for his wickedness

that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;z

the nationsa will perish from his land.

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

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

18 defending the fatherlessd and the oppressed,e

so that mere earthly mortals

will never again strike terror.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

1 In the Lord I take refuge.f

How then can you say to me:

“Fleeg like a bird to your mountain.h

2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;i

they set their arrowsj against the strings

to shoot from the shadowsk

at the upright in heart.l

3 When the foundationsm are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

4 The Lord is in his holy temple;n

the Lord is on his heavenly throne.o

He observes everyone on earth;p

his eyes examineq them.

5 The Lord examines the righteous,r

but the wicked, those who love violence,

he hates with a passion.s

6 On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulfur;t

a scorching windu will be their lot.

7 For the Lord is righteous,v

he loves justice;w

the uprightx will see his face.y

Psalm 12a

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

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

those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

2 Everyone liesa to their neighbor;

they flatter with their lips

but harbor deception in their hearts.b

3 May the Lord silence all flattering lipsc

and every boastful tongue—d

4 those 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 plunderedf and the needy groan,g

I will now arise,h” says the Lord.

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

6 And the words of the Lord are flawless,j

like silver purifiedk in a crucible,l

like goldc refined seven times.

7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safem

and will protect us forever from the wicked,n

8 who freely struto about

when what is vile is honored by the human race.