Psalms 10

¹Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.

⁴In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

⁵His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by 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.”

⁷His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

⁸He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. 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; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

¹⁰His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

¹¹He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.”

¹²Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.

¹³Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?

¹⁴But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.

¹⁷You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

¹⁸defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.