1 G od of vengeance -- Jehovah! God of vengeance, shine forth.

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2 B e lifted up, O Judge of the earth, Send back a recompence on the proud.

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

3 T ill when the wicked, O Jehovah? Till when do the wicked exult?

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

4 T hey utter -- they speak an old saw, All working iniquity do boast themselves.

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

5 T hy people, O Jehovah, they bruise, And Thine inheritance they afflict.

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

6 W idow and sojourner they slay, And fatherless ones they murder.

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

7 A nd they say, `Jehovah doth not see, And the God of Jacob doth not consider.'

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

8 C onsider, ye brutish among the people, And ye foolish, when do ye act wisely?

Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

9 H e who planteth the ear doth He not hear? He who formeth the eye doth 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 is instructing nations, Doth He not reprove? He who is teaching man knowledge Jehovah.

He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know ?

11 H e knoweth the thoughts of man, that they vanity.

The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

12 O the happiness of the man Whom Thou instructest, O Jah, And out of Thy law teachest him,

Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;

13 T o give rest to him from days of evil, While a pit is digged for the wicked.

that thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

14 F or Jehovah leaveth not His people, And His inheritance forsaketh not.

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

15 F or to righteousness judgment turneth back, And after it all the upright of heart,

But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

16 W ho riseth up for me with evil doers? Who stationeth himself for me with workers of iniquity?

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

17 U nless Jehovah a help to me, My soul had almost inhabited silence.

Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

18 I f I have said, `My foot hath slipped,' Thy kindness, O Jehovah, supporteth me.

When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

19 I n the abundance of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.

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

20 I s a throne of mischief joined Thee? A framer of perverseness by statute?

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

21 T hey decree against the soul of the righteous, And innocent blood declare wicked.

They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

22 A nd Jehovah is for a high place to me, And my God for a rock -- my refuge,

But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

23 A nd turneth back on them their iniquity, And in their wickedness cutteth them off; Jehovah our God doth cut them off!

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.