⁽¹⁾ God, the pagans have entered your heritage.
They have defiled your holy temple
and turned Yerushalayim into rubble.
² They have given the corpses of your servants
as food for the birds in the air,
yes, the flesh of those faithful to you
for the wild animals of the earth.
³ All around Yerushalayim
they have shed their blood like water,
and no one is left to bury them.
⁴ We suffer the taunts of our neighbors,
we are mocked and scorned by those around us.

⁵ How long, Adonai?
Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

⁶ Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you,
on the kingdoms that don’t call out your name;
⁷ for they have devoured Ya‘akov
and left his home a waste.

⁸ Don’t count past iniquities against us,
but let your compassion come quickly to meet us,
for we have been brought very low.
⁹ Help us, God of our salvation,
for the sake of the glory of your name.
Deliver us, forgive our sins,
for your name’s sake.
¹⁰ Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?”

Let the vengeance taken on your servants’ shed blood
be known among the nations before our eyes.
¹¹ Let the groaning of the captives come before you;
by your great strength save those condemned to death.

¹² Repay our neighbors sevenfold where they can feel it
for the insults they inflicted on you, Adonai.

¹³ Then we, your people and the flock in your pasture,
will give you thanks forever.
From generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.

94 God of vengeance, Adonai!
God of vengeance, appear!
² Assert yourself as judge of the earth!
Pay back the proud as they deserve!

³ How long are the wicked, Adonai,
how long are the wicked to triumph?
⁴ They pour out insolent words,
they go on bragging, all these evildoers.

⁵ They crush your people, Adonai,
they oppress your heritage.
⁶ They kill widows and strangers
and murder the fatherless.

⁷ They say, “Yah isn’t looking;
the God of Ya‘akov won’t notice.”
⁸ Take notice, yourselves, you boors among the people!
You fools, when will you understand?
⁹ Will the one who planted the ear not hear?
Will the one who formed the eye not see?
¹⁰ Will the one who disciplines nations not correct them?
Will the teacher of humanity not know?
¹¹ Adonai understands that people’s thoughts
are merely a puff of wind.

¹² How happy the man whom you correct, Yah,
whom you teach from your Torah,
¹³ giving him respite from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked!
¹⁴ For Adonai will not desert his people,
he will not abandon his heritage.
¹⁵ Justice will once again become righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

¹⁶ Who will champion my cause against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against evildoers?

¹⁷ If Adonai hadn’t helped me,
I would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
¹⁸ When I said, “My foot is slipping!”
your grace, Adonai, supported me.
¹⁹ When my cares within me are many,
your comforts cheer me up.

²⁰ Can unjust judges be allied with you,
those producing wrong in the name of law?
²¹ They band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.

²² But Adonai has become my stronghold,
my God is my rock of refuge.
²³ But he repays them as their guilt deserves;
he will cut them off with their own evil;
Adonai our God will cut them off.