A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.

10 Why (A)do You stand far away, Lord?
Why (B)do You hide [a]Yourself in times of trouble?
In (C)arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the needy;
[b]Let them be (D)caught in the plots which they have devised.

For the wicked (E)boasts of his (F)soul’s desire,
And [c]the greedy person curses and (G)shows disrespect to the Lord.
The wicked, [d]in his haughtiness, (H)does not seek Him.
(I)There is no God in all his schemes.

His ways (J)succeed at all times;
Yet Your judgments are on high, (K)out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he snorts at them.
He says to himself, “(L)I will not be moved;
[e]Throughout the generations (M)I will not be in adversity.”
His (N)mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and (O)oppression;
(P)Under his tongue is harm and injustice.
He sits in the (Q)lurking places of the villages;
He (R)kills the innocent in the secret places;
His eyes [f]surreptitiously watch for the [g](S)unfortunate.
He lurks in secret like (T)a lion in his [h]lair;
He (U)lurks to catch (V)the needy;
He catches the needy when he pulls him into his (W)net.
10 Then he crushes the needy one, who cowers;
And [i]unfortunate people fall by his mighty power.
11 He (X)says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

12 Arise, Lord; God, (Y)lift up Your hand.
(Z)Do not forget the humble.
13 Why has the wicked (AA)treated God disrespectfully?
He has said to himself, “[j]You will not require an account.”
14 You have seen it, for You have looked at (AB)harm and provocation to [k]take it into Your hand.
The [l](AC)unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the (AD)helper of the orphan.
15 (AE)Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
[m](AF)Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16 The Lord is (AG)King forever and ever;
(AH)Nations have perished from His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the (AI)desire of the humble;
You will (AJ)strengthen their heart, (AK)You will make Your ear attentive
18 To [n]vindicate the (AL)orphan and the (AM)oppressed,
So that mankind, which is of the earth, will no longer cause (AN)terror.

The Lord, a Refuge and Defense.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

11 In the Lord I (AO)take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your (AP)mountain?
For, behold, the wicked (AQ)bend the bow,
They have [o](AR)set their arrow on the string
To (AS)shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
If the (AT)foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in His (AU)holy temple; the [p]Lords (AV)throne is in heaven;
His (AW)eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind.
The Lord (AX)tests the righteous and (AY)the wicked,
And His soul hates one who loves violence.
He will (AZ)rain [q]coals of fire upon the wicked,
(BA)And brimstone and (BB)burning wind will be the portion of (BC)their cup.
For the Lord is (BD)righteous, (BE)He loves [r]righteousness;
The upright will (BF)see His face.

God, a Helper against the Treacherous.

For the music director; [s]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

12 Help, Lord, for (BG)the godly person has come to an end,
For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.
They (BH)speak [t]lies to one another;
They speak with [u](BI)flattering lips and a double heart.
May the Lord cut off all [v]flattering lips,
The tongue that (BJ)speaks great things;
Who (BK)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [w]our own; who is lord over us?”
“Because of the (BL)devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (BM)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (BN)put him in the safety for which he longs.”

The (BO)words of the Lord are pure words;
Like silver (BP)refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
You, Lord, will keep them;
You will (BQ)protect him from this generation forever.
The (BR)wicked strut about on every side
When [x](BS)vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 10:1 Or Your eyes
  2. Psalm 10:2 Or They will be caught
  3. Psalm 10:3 Or blesses the greedy man
  4. Psalm 10:4 Lit the height of his nose
  5. Psalm 10:6 Lit To
  6. Psalm 10:8 Lit lie in wait
  7. Psalm 10:8 Or poor
  8. Psalm 10:9 Or thicket
  9. Psalm 10:10 Or unhappy
  10. Psalm 10:13 I.e., as though God will ignore it
  11. Psalm 10:14 Lit put, give
  12. Psalm 10:14 Or poor
  13. Psalm 10:15 Or May You seek
  14. Psalm 10:18 Lit judge
  15. Psalm 11:2 Or fixed
  16. Psalm 11:4 Lit Lord, His throne
  17. Psalm 11:6 As in a Gr version; MT snares; Fire and
  18. Psalm 11:7 Or righteous deeds
  19. Psalm 12 Title Or according to a lower octave (Heb Sheminith)
  20. Psalm 12:2 Lit worthless speech
  21. Psalm 12:2 Lit a smooth lip
  22. Psalm 12:3 Lit a smooth lip
  23. Psalm 12:4 Lit with us
  24. Psalm 12:8 Or worthlessness

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