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

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!

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

Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud.

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

Lord, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph?

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

They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.

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

They break in pieces Your people, O Lord, And afflict Your 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 does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.”

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

Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise?

9 H e who planteth the ear doth He not hear? He who formeth the eye doth He not see?

He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who 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 who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge?

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

The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.

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

Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, And teach out of Your law,

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

That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug 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, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

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

But judgment will return to righteousness, And all the upright in heart will 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? 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 would soon have settled in silence.

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

If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.

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

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.

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

Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You?

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

They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood.

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

But the Lord has been my defense, And my God 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!

He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off.