1  ^wWhy, O Lord, do you stand far away?

Why do you ^xhide yourself in times of trouble?

2  In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

^ylet them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.

3  For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one ^zgreedy for gain curses¹ and renounces the Lord.

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

all his thoughts are, ^a“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  ^bHis mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;

under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.

8  He sits in ambush in the villages;

^cin 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, ^dhe will never see it.”

12  Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;

^eforget 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;

^fyou have been the helper of the fatherless.

15  Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

^gcall his wickedness to account till you find none.

16  ^hThe 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 ⁱjustice to the fatherless and the ^joppressed,

^kso that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

1  ^fShout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!

^gPraise befits the upright.

2  Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;

^hmake melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3  Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully on the strings, with ⁱloud shouts.

4  For the word of the Lord is upright,

and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5  He loves righteousness and justice;

^jthe earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6  ^kBy the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

7  ^lHe gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;

^mhe puts the deeps in storehouses.

8  ⁿLet all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

9  For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

10  ^oThe Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

^phe frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11  The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the plans of his heart to all generations.

12  ^qBlessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

^rthe people whom he has ^schosen as his ^theritage!

13  The Lord looks down from heaven;

he sees all the children of man;

14  from where he sits enthroned he looks out

on all the inhabitants of the earth,

15  he who fashions the hearts of them all

and observes all their deeds.

16  The king is not saved by his great army;

a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17  ^uThe war horse is a false hope for salvation,

and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18  Behold, the ^veye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who ^whope in his steadfast love,

19  that he may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive ^xin famine.

20  Our soul waits for the Lord;

he is our help and our ^yshield.

21  For our heart is ^zglad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

22  Let your ^asteadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.