God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to hDo Not Destroy. A iMiktam1 of David.
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 jdeal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are kestranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 lThey have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it mdoes not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, nbreak the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them ovanish like water that runs away;
when he paims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail othat dissolves into slime,
like qthe stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of rthorns,
10 tThe righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will ubathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is va reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who wjudges on earth.”
Help Me, O Lord My God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 tBe not silent, O uGod of my praise!
2 For wicked and vdeceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me wwithout cause.
4 In return for my love they xaccuse me,
but I ygive myself to prayer.1
5 So they zreward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 aAppoint a wicked man bagainst him;
let an accuser stand cat his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his dprayer be counted as sin!
8 May his edays be few;
may fanother take his goffice!
9 May his hchildren be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children iwander about and beg,
jseeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May kthe creditor seize all that he has;
may kstrangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to lextend kindness to him,
nor any to mpity his fatherless children!
13 May his nposterity be cut off;
may his oname be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May pthe iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be qblotted out!
15 rLet them be before the Lord continually,
that he may scut off the memory of them from the earth!
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued tthe poor and needy
and uthe brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 vHe loved to curse; let curses come2 upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far3 from him!
18 He wclothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it xsoak4 into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20 May this be the reward of my yaccusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!
21 But you, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf zfor your name’s sake;
because your asteadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am bpoor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone like ca shadow at evening;
I am dshaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak ethrough fasting;
my fbody has become gaunt, with no fat.
25 I am gan object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they hwag their heads.
26 iHelp me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
27 Let them jknow that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it!
28 kLet them curse, but you will bless!
They arise and are put to shame, but lyour servant will be glad!
29 May my accusers be mclothed with dishonor;
may they nbe wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will opraise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands pat the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
