Psalm 10

Psalm 10¹

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?^a

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

In their arrogance the wicked hunt down the weak,^c

catching them in the schemes they devise.

They boast^d about the cravings of their hearts;

they bless the greedy and revile the Lord.^e

In their pride the wicked do not seek him;

in all their thoughts there is no room for God.^f

Their ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected by them;

they sneer at all their enemies.

They say to themselves, “Nothing will ever shake us.”

They swear, “No one will ever do us harm.”^g

Their mouths are full^h of lies and threats;ⁱ

trouble and evil are under their tongues.^j

They lie in wait^k near the villages;

from ambush they murder the innocent.^l

Their eyes watch in secret for their victims;

like a lion in cover they lie in wait.

They lie in wait to catch the helpless;^m

they catch the helpless and drag them off in their nets.ⁿ

^⌈The innocent^⌈ are crushed,^o they collapse;

they fall victim to superior strength.

The wicked say to themselves, “God will never notice;^p

he covers his face and never sees.”^q

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

Do not forget the helpless.^t

Why do the wicked revile God?^u

Why do they say to themselves,

“He won’t call us to account”?^v

But you, God, see the trouble^w of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;^x

you are the helper^y of the fatherless.

Break the arms of the wicked and the evildoers;^z

call them to account for their wickedness

that would not otherwise be found out.

The Lord is King for ever and ever;^a

the nations^b will perish from his land.

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;^c

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

defending the fatherless^e and the oppressed,^f

so that mere earthly mortals

will never again strike terror.