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  ^vHow long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you ^whide your face from me?

2  How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3  Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

^xlight up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4  lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5  But I have ^ytrusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

6  I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

1  ^dMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

^eWhy are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2  O my God, I cry by day, ^fbut you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3  Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises¹ of Israel.

4  In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5  To you they cried and were rescued;

^gin you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6  But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and ^hdespised by the people.

7  All who see me ⁱmock me;

they make mouths at me; they ^jwag their heads;

8  ^k“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

9  Yet ^lyou are he who took me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.

10  On you was I cast from my birth,

and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11  ^mBe not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is ⁿnone to help.

12  Many bulls encompass me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

13  they open wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring ^olion.

14  I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

15  my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16  For ^pdogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have ^qpierced my hands and feet²—

17  I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

18  ^rthey divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

19  But you, O Lord, do not be far off!

O you my help, ^scome quickly to my aid!

20  Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dog!

21  Save me from the mouth of the ^tlion!

You have rescued³ me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22  ^uI will tell of your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23  You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, ^vglorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24  For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of the afflicted,

and he has not hidden his face from him,

but has heard, when he cried to him.

25  From you comes my praise in the great congregation;

my vows I will ^wperform before those who fear him.

26  The afflicted⁴ shall eat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts live forever!

27  All the ^xends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you.

28  For kingship belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

29  All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall bow all who go down ^yto the dust,

even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30  Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be ^ztold of the Lord to the coming generation;

31  they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people ^ayet unborn,

that he has done it.

1  I ^wcry aloud to God,

aloud to God, and he will hear me.

2  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted.

3  When I remember God, I moan;

when I meditate, ^xmy spirit faints. Selah

4  You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5  I consider the ^ydays of old,

the years long ago.

6  I said,¹ “Let me remember my song in the ^znight;

let me meditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search:

7  “Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable?

8  Has his steadfast love forever ceased?

Are his promises at an end for all time?

9  Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10  Then I said, “I will appeal to this,

to ^athe years of the right hand of the Most High.”²

11  I will ^bremember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

12  I will ponder all your work,

and ^cmeditate on your mighty deeds.

13  Your way, O God, is holy.

^dWhat god is great like our God?

14  You are the God who works wonders;

you have ^emade known your might among the peoples.

15  You with your arm ^fredeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16  ^gWhen the waters ^hsaw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

17  ⁱThe clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your ^jarrows flashed on every side.

18  The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

^kthe earth trembled and shook.

19  Your ^lway was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.³

20  You ^mled your people like a ⁿflock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.