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  Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?²

Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

2  No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;

your hands deal out violence on earth.

3  The wicked are ^hestranged from the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

4  They have venom like the ⁱvenom of a serpent,

like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

5  so that it does not hear the voice of ^jcharmers

or of the cunning enchanter.

6  O God, ^kbreak the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young ^llions, O Lord!

7  Let them vanish like water that runs away;

when he ^maims his arrows, let them be blunted.

8  Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,

like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.

9  Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,

whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!³

10  ⁿThe righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;

he will bathe his ^ofeet in the blood of the wicked.

11  Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;

surely there is a ^pGod who judges on earth.”

1  ^rIn you, O Lord, do I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

^sin your righteousness deliver me!

2  Incline your ear to me;

rescue me speedily!

Be a ^trock of refuge for me,

a strong fortress to save me!

3  For you are my rock and my fortress;

and ^ufor your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;

4  ^vyou take me out of the net they have hidden for me,

for you are my refuge.

5  ^wInto your hand I commit my spirit;

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

6  ^xI hate¹ those who pay regard to worthless idols,

but I trust in the Lord.

7  I will rejoice and be ^yglad in your steadfast love,

because you have seen my affliction;

you have known the distress of my soul,

8  and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;

you have set my feet in a ^zbroad place.

9  Be gracious to me, O Lord, for ^aI am in distress;

^bmy eye is wasted from grief;

my soul and my body also.

10  For my life is spent with sorrow,

and my years with ^csighing;

my strength fails because of my iniquity,

and ^dmy bones waste away.

11  Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,

especially to my neighbors,

and an object of dread to my ^eacquaintances;

those who see me in the street flee from me.

12  ^fI have been forgotten like one who is dead;

I have become ^glike a broken vessel.

13  For ^hI hear the whispering of many—

terror on every side!—

as they scheme together against me,

as they plot to take my life.

14  But I trust in you, O Lord;

ⁱI say, “You are my God.”

15  My times are in your hand;

rescue me ^jfrom the hand of my enemies and ^kfrom my persecutors!

16  ^lMake your face shine on your servant;

save me in your steadfast love!

17  O Lord, let me not be put to shame,

for I call upon you;

let the wicked be put to shame;

let them go silently to Sheol.

18  Let the lying lips be mute,

which speak insolently against the righteous

in pride and contempt.

19  Oh, how abundant is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you

and worked for those who take refuge in you,

in the sight of the children of mankind!

20  In the ^mcover of your presence you hide them

from the plots of men;

you store them in your ⁿshelter

from the strife of tongues.

21  Blessed be the Lord,

for he has ^owondrously shown his steadfast love to me

when I was in a besieged city.

22  ^pI had said in my alarm,²

^q“I am cut off from your sight.”

But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy

when I cried to you for help.

23  Love the Lord, all you his saints!

The Lord preserves the faithful

but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

24  Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who ^rwait for the Lord!

1  Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,

^sfor I am poor and needy.

2  Preserve my life, for I am godly;

save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.

3  Be gracious to me, O Lord,

for to you do I cry ^tall the day.

4  Gladden the soul of your servant,

for ^uto you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5  For you, O Lord, are good and ^vforgiving,

^wabounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

6  Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;

listen to my plea for grace.

7  In the day of my trouble I call upon you,

for ^xyou answer me.

8  ^yThere is none like you among the gods, O Lord,

nor are there any works like yours.

9  ^zAll the nations you have made shall come

and worship before you, O Lord,

and shall glorify your name.

10  For ^ayou are great and do ^bwondrous things;

^cyou alone are God.

11  ^dTeach me your way, O Lord,

that I may walk ^ein your truth;

unite my heart to fear your name.

12  I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

and I will glorify your name forever.

13  For great is your steadfast love toward me;

you have ^fdelivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14  O God, ^ginsolent men have risen up against me;

a band of ruthless men seeks my life,

and they do not set you before them.

15  But you, O Lord, are a God ^hmerciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

16  ⁱTurn to me and be gracious to me;

^jgive your strength to ^kyour servant,

and save the son of your maidservant.

17  Show me a sign of your favor,

that those who hate me may see and ^lbe put to shame

because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.