Psalm 10

Why Do You Hide Yourself?

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

2  In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3  For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain cursest and renounces the Lord.
4  In the pride of his facet the wicked does not seek him;t
all his thoughts are, "There is no God."
5  His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6  He says in his heart, "I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity."
7  His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8  He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9  he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10  The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11  He says in his heart, "God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it."

12  Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
13  Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"?
14  But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
15  Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

16  The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
17  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18  to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm 10

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you pay no attention during times of trouble?

2 The wicked arrogantly chase the oppressed;
the oppressed are trapped by the schemes the wicked have dreamed up.

3 Yes, the wicked man boasts because he gets what he wants;
the one who robs others curses and rejects the Lord.

4 The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks,
“God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.”

5 He is secure at all times.
He has no regard for your commands;
he disdains all his enemies.

6 He says to himself,
“I will never be upended,
because I experience no calamity.”

7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words;
his tongue injures and destroys.

8 He waits in ambush near the villages;
in hidden places he kills the innocent.
His eyes look for some unfortunate victim.

9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket;
he lies in ambush, waiting to catch the oppressed;
he catches the oppressed by pulling in his net.

10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;
they are trapped in his sturdy nets.

11 He says to himself,
“God overlooks it;
he does not pay attention;
he never notices.”

12 Rise up, Lord!
O God, strike him down!
Do not forget the oppressed!

13 Why does the wicked man reject God?
He says to himself, “You will not hold me accountable.”

14 You have taken notice,
for you always see one who inflicts pain and suffering.
The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you;
you deliver the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man!
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds,
which he thought you would not discover.

16 The Lord rules forever!
The nations are driven out of his land.

17 Lord, you have heard the request of the oppressed;
you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer.

18 You defend the fatherless and oppressed,
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them.