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  Hear a just cause, O Lord; ^vattend to my cry!

Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

2  From your presence let my ^wvindication come!

Let your eyes behold the right!

3  You have tried my heart, you have ^xvisited me by night,

you have tested me, and you will find nothing;

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

4  With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5  ^yMy steps have held fast to your paths;

my feet have not ^zslipped.

6  ^aI call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;

incline your ear to me; hear my words.

7  ^bWondrously show¹ your steadfast love,

O Savior of those who seek refuge

from their adversaries at your right hand.

8  Keep me as ^cthe apple of your eye;

^dhide me in the shadow of your wings,

9  from the wicked who do me violence,

my deadly enemies who surround me.

10  They close their hearts to pity;

with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

11  They have now surrounded our steps;

they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.

12  He is ^elike a lion eager to tear,

as a young lion lurking in ambush.

13  Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

14  from men by your hand, O Lord,

from men of the world whose portion is in this life.²

You fill their womb with treasure;³

they are satisfied with children,

and they leave their abundance to their infants.

15  As for me, I shall ^fbehold your face in righteousness;

when I ^gawake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

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.

1  Give ear, O ^xShepherd of Israel,

you who ^ylead Joseph like a flock.

You who are ^zenthroned upon the cherubim, ^ashine forth.

2  Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,

stir up your might

and come to save us!

3  Restore us,¹ O God;

^blet your face shine, that we may be saved!

4  O Lord God of hosts,

how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

5  ^cYou have fed them with the bread of tears

and given them ^dtears to drink in full measure.

6  You make us an object of contention for our neighbors,

and our enemies laugh among themselves.

7  Restore us, O God of hosts;

let your face shine, that we may be saved!

8  You brought a ^evine out of Egypt;

you drove out the nations and planted it.

9  You cleared the ground for it;

it took deep root and filled the land.

10  The mountains were covered with its shade,

the mighty cedars with its branches.

11  It sent out its branches ^fto the sea

and its shoots to the River.²

12  Why then have you ^gbroken down its walls,

so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?

13  The boar from the forest ravages it,

and all that move in the field feed on it.

14  Turn again, O God of hosts!

Look down from heaven, and see;

^hhave regard for this vine,

15  the stock that your right hand planted,

and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.

16  They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down;

may they perish at the rebuke of your face!

17  But let your hand be on the man of your right hand,

the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!

18  Then we shall not turn back from you;

give us life, and we will call upon your name!

19  Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!

ⁱLet your face shine, that we may be saved!

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.