1 O Lord, the God Who punishes, God Who punishes, let Your light shine!

¶ O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, show thyself.

2 R ise up, You Judge of the earth. Pay what is owed to the proud.

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

3 H ow long will the sinful, O Lord, how long will the sinful be full of joy?

LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

4 T hey pour out proud words. All those who do wrong, talk about themselves as if they are great people.

How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

5 T hey crush Your people, O Lord. They bring trouble upon Your chosen nation.

They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thy heritage.

6 T hey kill the woman whose husband has died and the stranger. They kill the children who have no parents.

They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless.

7 A nd they say, “The Lord does not see. The God of Jacob does not care.”

Yet they say, JAH shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

8 L isten, you foolish ones among the people. You fools, when will you understand?

Understand, ye carnal ones among the people, and, ye fools, when will ye be wise?

9 H e Who made the ear, does He not hear? He Who made the eye, does He not see?

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

10 H e Who punishes nations so they might give up sin, will He not speak strong words to them? Is He not the One Who teaches man all he knows?

He that chastens the Gentiles, shall he not correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know?

11 T he Lord knows the thoughts of man. He knows that they are empty.

The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

12 H appy is the man who is punished until he gives up sin, O Lord, and whom You teach from Your Law.

¶ Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O JAH, and teach him out of thy law,

13 Y ou give him rest from days of trouble, until a hole is dug for the sinful.

to cause him to rest in the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.

14 F or the Lord will not turn away from His people. He will not leave His chosen nation.

For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15 F or what is decided will be right and good. And all those whose hearts are right will follow it.

But the judgment shall be returned unto righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

16 W ho will rise up for me against the sinful? Who will take a stand for me against those who do wrong?

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

17 I f the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have been among the dead.

Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would have quickly dwelt with the dead.

18 W hen I said, “My foot is going out from under me,” Your loving-kindness held me up, O Lord.

When I said, My foot slips, thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.

19 W hen my worry is great within me, Your comfort brings joy to my soul.

In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.

20 C an a sinful throne that brings trouble by its laws be a friend to You?

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, who creates toil under the guise of law?

21 T hey join together against the life of those who are right and good. They send those who are not guilty to their death.

They gather themselves together as an army against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood.

22 B ut the Lord has been my strong place, my God, and the rock where I am safe.

But the LORD is my refuge, and my God is the rock of my trust.

23 H e has brought back their own sin upon them and will destroy them for their wrong-doing. The Lord our God will destroy them.

And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.