Psalm 10–12

Psalm 10

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph Over Evil

1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?

2 The wicked in his pride 1persecutes the poor;

aLet them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

3 For the wicked bboasts of his heart’s desire;

2He cblesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.

4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;

3God is in none of his dthoughts.

5 His ways 4are always prospering;

Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;

As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

6 eHe has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

fI shall never be in adversity.”

7 gHis mouth is full of cursing and hdeceit and oppression;

Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages;

In the secret places he murders the innocent;

His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;

He lies in wait to catch the poor;

He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

10 So 5he crouches, he lies low,

That the helpless may fall by his 6strength.

11 He has said in his heart,

“God has forgotten;

He hides His face;

He will never see.”

12 Arise, O Lord!

O God, ilift up Your hand!

Do not forget the jhumble.

13 Why do the wicked renounce God?

He has said in his heart,

“You will not require an account.”

14 But You have kseen, for You observe trouble and grief,

To repay it by Your hand.

The helpless lcommits 7himself to You;

mYou are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;

Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16 nThe Lord is King forever and ever;

The nations have perished out of His land.

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

You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear,

18 To 8do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may 9oppress no more.

Psalm 11

Faith in the Lord’s Righteousness

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 In athe Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul,

“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?

2 For look! bThe wicked bend their bow,

They make ready their arrow on the string,

That they may shoot 1secretly at the upright in heart.

3 cIf the foundations are destroyed,

What can the righteous do?

4 The Lord is in His holy temple,

The Lord’s dthrone is in heaven;

eHis eyes behold,

His eyelids test the sons of men.

5 The Lord ftests the righteous,

But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;

Fire and brimstone and a burning wind

gShall be 2the portion of their cup.

7 For the Lord is righteous,

He hloves righteousness;

3His countenance beholds the upright.

Psalm 12

Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy

To the Chief Musician. aOn 1An Eight-Stringed Harp. A Psalm of David.

1 Help, 2Lord, for the godly man bceases!

For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

2 cThey speak idly everyone with his neighbor;

With flattering lips and 3a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord 4cut off all flattering lips,

And the tongue that speaks 5proud things,

4 Who have said,

“With our tongue we will prevail;

Our lips are our own;

Who is lord over us?”

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,

Now I will arise,” says the Lord;

“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

6 The words of the Lord are dpure words,

Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,

Purified seven times.

7 You shall keep them, O Lord,

You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

8 The wicked prowl on every side,

When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.