Psalm 10

1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.

3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.

4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

5 His ways are always prosperous;
he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
he sneers at all his enemies.

6 He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me;
I'll always be happy and never have trouble.”

7 His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.

8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent,
watching in secret for his victims.

9 He lies in wait like a lion in cover;
he lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.

11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
he covers his face and never sees.”

12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.

13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won't call me to account”?

14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.

17 You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

PSALMS 10

A Prayer for Help

1 Why are you far away, [Lord]?
Why do you hide yourself
when I am in trouble?

2 Proud and brutal people
hunt down the poor.
But let them get caught
by their own evil plans!

3 The wicked brag about
their deepest desires.
Those greedy people hate
and curse you, [Lord].

4 The wicked are too proud
to turn to you
or even think about you.

5 They are always successful,
though they can't understand
your teachings,
and they keep sneering
at their enemies.

6 In their hearts they say,
“Nothing can hurt us!
We'll always be happy
and free from trouble.”

7  t They curse and tell lies,
and all they talk about
is how to be cruel
or how to do wrong.

8 They hide outside villages,
waiting to strike and murder
some innocent victim.

9 They are hungry lions
hiding in the bushes,
hoping to catch
some helpless passerby.
They trap the poor in nets
and drag them away.

10 They crouch down and wait
to grab a victim.

11 They say, “God can't see!
He's got on a blindfold.”

12 Do something, [Lord] God,
and use your powerful arm
to help those in need.

13 The wicked don't respect you.
In their hearts they say,
“God won't punish us!”

14 But you see the trouble
and the distress,
and you will do something.
The poor can count on you,
and so can orphans.

15 Now break the power
of all merciless people.
Punish them for doing wrong
and make them stop.

16 Our [Lord], you will always rule,
but every godless nation
will vanish from the earth.

17 You listen to the longings
of those who suffer.
You offer them hope,
and you pay attention
to their cries for help.

18 You defend orphans
and everyone else in need,
so that no one on earth
can terrify others again.