1  Why, O Lord, do you stand ^kfar away?

Why ^ldo you hide yourself in ^mtimes of trouble?

2  In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them ⁿbe caught in the schemes that they have devised.

3  For the wicked ^oboasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain ^pcurses¹ and ^qrenounces the Lord.

4  In the pride of his face² the wicked does not ^qseek him;³

all his thoughts are, ^r“There is no God.”

5  His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, ^sout of his sight;

as for all his foes, he ^tpuffs at them.

6  He ^usays in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I ^vshall not meet adversity.”

7  ^wHis mouth is filled with cursing and ^xdeceit and ^yoppression;

^zunder his tongue are ^amischief and ^biniquity.

8  He sits in ambush in the villages;

in ^chiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

9  he lurks in ambush like ^da lion in his ^ethicket;

he ^flurks that he may seize the poor;

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his ^gnet.

10  The helpless are crushed, sink down,

and fall by his might.

11  He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,

he has ^hhidden his face, he ⁱwill never see it.”

12  ^jArise, O Lord; O God, ^klift up your hand;

^lforget not the afflicted.

13  Why does the wicked ^mrenounce God

and say in his heart, “You will not ⁿcall to account”?

14  But you do see, for you ^onote mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless ^pcommits himself;

you have been ^qthe helper of the fatherless.

15  ^rBreak the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

^scall his wickedness to account till you find none.

16  ^tThe Lord is king forever and ever;

the ^unations perish from his land.

17  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will ^vstrengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18  to ^wdo justice to the fatherless and ^xthe oppressed,

so that ^yman who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

1  ^gThe ^hfool says in his heart, ⁱ“There is no God.”

They are ^jcorrupt, they do abominable deeds;

^kthere is none who does good.

2  The Lord ^llooks down from heaven on the children of man,

to see if there are any who understand,¹

who ^mseek after God.

3  They have all turned aside; together they have become ⁿcorrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

4  Have they no ^oknowledge, all the evildoers

who ^peat up my people as they eat bread

and ^qdo not call upon the Lord?

5  There they are in great terror,

for God is with ^rthe generation of the righteous.

6  You would shame the plans of the poor,

but² the Lord is his ^srefuge.

7  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the Lord ^trestores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

1  ^yDeliver me, O Lord, from evil men;

preserve me from ^zviolent men,

2  who plan evil things in their heart

and ^astir up wars continually.

3  They make ^btheir tongue sharp as ^ca serpent’s,

and ^dunder their lips is the ^evenom of asps. Selah

4  Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

preserve me from ^zviolent men,

who have planned to trip up my feet.

5  The arrogant have ^fhidden a trap for me,

and with cords they have spread ^ga net;¹

beside the way they have set ^hsnares for me. Selah

6  ⁱI say to the Lord, You are my God;

give ear to ^jthe voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!

7  O Lord, my Lord, ^kthe strength of my salvation,

you have covered my head in the day of battle.

8  ^lGrant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

do not further their² evil plot, or ^mthey will be exalted! Selah

9  As for the head of those who surround me,

let ⁿthe mischief of their lips overwhelm them!

10  Let ^oburning coals fall upon them!

Let them be cast into fire,

into miry pits, no more to rise!

11  Let not the slanderer be established in the land;

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

12  I know that the Lord will ^pmaintain the cause of the afflicted,

and ^qwill execute justice for the needy.

13  Surely ^rthe righteous shall give thanks to your name;

^sthe upright shall dwell in your presence.