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

2 I n pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

3 F or the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.

4 T he wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, “ There is no God.”

5 H is ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.

6 H e says to himself, “ I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.”

7 H is mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.

8 H e sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.

9 H e lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.

10 H e crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.

11 H e says to himself, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

12 A rise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted.

13 W hy has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”

14 Y ou have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan.

15 B reak the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16 T he Lord is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land.

17 O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear

18 T o vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.