PSALM 10

1 Why dost thou stand afar off, O Lord?

Why dost thou hide thyself in times of trouble?

2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them be caught in the schemes which they have devised.

3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his heart,

and the man greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.

4 In the pride of his countenance the wicked does not seek him;

all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

5 His ways prosper at all times;

thy judgments are on high, out of his sight;

as for all his foes, he puffs at them.

6 He thinks in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”

7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;

under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.

8 He sits in ambush in the villages;

in hiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the hapless,

9 he lurks in secret like a lion in his covert;

he lurks that he may seize the poor,

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.

10 The hapless is crushed, sinks down,

and falls by his might.

11 He thinks in his heart, “God has forgotten,

he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thy hand;

forget not the afflicted.

13 Why does the wicked renounce God,

and say in his heart, “Thou wilt not call to account”?

14 Thou dost see; yea, thou dost note trouble and vexation,

that thou mayest take it into thy hands;

the hapless commits himself to thee;

thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 The Lord is king for ever and ever;

the nations shall perish from his land.

17 O Lord, thou wilt hear the desire of the meek;

thou wilt strengthen their heart, thou wilt incline thy ear

18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

PSALM 11

To the choirmaster. Of David.

1 In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me,

“Flee like a bird to the mountains;*

2 for lo, the wicked bend the bow,

they have fitted their arrow to the string,

to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;

3 if the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do”?

4 The Lord is in his holy temple,

the Lord’s throne is in heaven;

his eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men.

5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,

and his soul hates him that loves violence.

6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and brimstone;

a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For the Lord is righteous, he loves righteous deeds;

the upright shall behold his face.

PSALM 12

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 Help, Lord; for there is no longer any that is godly;

for the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men.

2 Every one utters lies to his neighbor;

with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,

the tongue that makes great boasts,

4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,

our lips are with us; who is our master?”

5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,

I will now arise,” says the Lord;

“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,

silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

7 Do thou, O Lord, protect us,

guard us ever from this generation.

8 On every side the wicked prowl,

as vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

PSALM 13

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Wilt thou forget me for ever?

How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2 How long must I bear pain* in my soul,

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him”;

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in thy steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.