Psalm 10-18

New American Standard Bible

A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.

10 Why ^(A)do You stand far away, Lord?
Why ^(B)do You hide ^[a]Yourself in times of trouble?
²In ^(C)arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the needy;
^[b]Let them be ^(D)caught in the plots which they have devised.

³For the wicked ^(E)boasts of his ^(F)soul’s desire,
And ^[c]the greedy person curses and ^(G)shows disrespect to the Lord.
⁴The wicked, ^[d]in his haughtiness, ^(H)does not seek Him.
^(I)There is no God in all his schemes.

⁵His ways ^(J)succeed at all times;
Yet Your judgments are on high, ^(K)out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he snorts at them.
⁶He says to himself, “^(L)I will not be moved;
^[e]Throughout the generations ^(M)I will not be in adversity.”
⁷His ^(N)mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and ^(O)oppression;
^(P)Under his tongue is harm and injustice.
⁸He sits in the ^(Q)lurking places of the villages;
He ^(R)kills the innocent in the secret places;
His eyes ^[f]surreptitiously watch for the ^[g]^(S)unfortunate.
⁹He lurks in secret like ^(T)a lion in his ^[h]lair;
He ^(U)lurks to catch ^(V)the needy;
He catches the needy when he pulls him into his ^(W)net.
¹⁰Then he crushes the needy one, who cowers;
And ^[i]unfortunate people fall by his mighty power.
¹¹He ^(X)says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

¹²Arise, Lord; God, ^(Y)lift up Your hand.
^(Z)Do not forget the humble.
¹³Why has the wicked ^(AA)treated God disrespectfully?
He has said to himself, “^[j]You will not require an account.”
¹⁴You have seen it, for You have looked at ^(AB)harm and provocation to ^[k]take it into Your hand.
The ^[l]^(AC)unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the ^(AD)helper of the orphan.
¹⁵^(AE)Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
^[m]^(AF)Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

¹⁶The Lord is ^(AG)King forever and ever;
^(AH)Nations have perished from His land.
¹⁷Lord, You have heard the ^(AI)desire of the humble;
You will ^(AJ)strengthen their heart, ^(AK)You will make Your ear attentive
¹⁸To ^[n]vindicate the ^(AL)orphan and the ^(AM)oppressed,
So that mankind, which is of the earth, will no longer cause ^(AN)terror.

The Lord, a Refuge and Defense.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

11 In the Lord I ^(AO)take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your ^(AP)mountain?
²For, behold, the wicked ^(AQ)bend the bow,
They have ^[o]^(AR)set their arrow on the string
To ^(AS)shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
³If the ^(AT)foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

⁴The Lord is in His ^(AU)holy temple; the ^[p]Lord’s ^(AV)throne is in heaven;
His ^(AW)eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind.
⁵The Lord ^(AX)tests the righteous and ^(AY)the wicked,
And His soul hates one who loves violence.
⁶He will ^(AZ)rain ^[q]coals of fire upon the wicked,
^(BA)And brimstone and ^(BB)burning wind will be the portion of ^(BC)their cup.
⁷For the Lord is ^(BD)righteous, ^(BE)He loves ^[r]righteousness;
The upright will ^(BF)see His face.

God, a Helper against the Treacherous.

For the music director; ^[s]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

12 Help, Lord, for ^(BG)the godly person has come to an end,
For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.
²They ^(BH)speak ^[t]lies to one another;
They speak with ^[u]^(BI)flattering lips and a double heart.
³May the Lord cut off all ^[v]flattering lips,
The tongue that ^(BJ)speaks great things;
⁴Who ^(BK)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are ^[w]our own; who is lord over us?”
⁵“Because of the ^(BL)devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now ^(BM)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will ^(BN)put him in the safety for which he longs.”

⁶The ^(BO)words of the Lord are pure words;
Like silver ^(BP)refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
⁷You, Lord, will keep them;
You will ^(BQ)protect him from this generation forever.
⁸The ^(BR)wicked strut about on every side
When ^[x]^(BS)vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, Lord? Will You ^(BT)forget me forever?
How long ^(BU)will You hide Your face from me?
²How long am I to ^(BV)feel anxious in my soul,
With ^(BW)grief in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³^(BX)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
^(BY)Enlighten my eyes, or I will ^(BZ)sleep the sleep of death,
⁴And my enemy will ^(CA)say, “I have overcome him,”
And ^(CB)my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

⁵But I have ^(CC)trusted in Your faithfulness;
My heart shall ^(CD)rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶I will ^(CE)sing to the Lord,
Because He has ^(CF)looked after me.

Foolishness and Wickedness of People.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

14 The fool has ^(CG)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts;
There is ^(CH)no one who does good.
²The Lord has ^(CI)looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind
To see if there are any who ^[y]^(CJ)understand,
Who ^(CK)seek God.
³They have all ^(CL)turned aside, together they are corrupt;
There is ^(CM)no one who does good, not even one.

⁴Do all the workers of injustice ^(CN)not know,
Who ^(CO)devour my people as they eat bread,
And ^(CP)do not call upon the Lord?
⁵There they are in great dread,
For God is with a ^(CQ)righteous generation.
⁶You would put to shame the plan of the poor,
But the Lord is his ^(CR)refuge.

⁷Oh, that ^(CS)the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord ^(CT)restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

Description of a Citizen of Zion.

A Psalm of David.

15 Lord, who may reside ^(CU)in Your tent?
Who may settle on Your ^(CV)holy hill?
²One who ^(CW)walks with integrity, practices righteousness,
And ^(CX)speaks truth in his heart.
³He ^(CY)does not slander ^[z]with his tongue,
Nor ^(CZ)do evil to his neighbor,
Nor ^(DA)bring shame on his friend;
⁴A despicable person is despised in his eyes,
But he ^(DB)honors those who fear the Lord;
He ^(DC)takes an oath to his own detriment, and does not change;
⁵He ^(DD)does not ^[aa]lend his money ^[ab]at interest,
Nor ^(DE)does he take a bribe against the innocent.
^(DF)One who does these things will never be shaken.

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.

A ^[ac]Mikhtam of David.

16 ^(DG)Protect me, God, for ^(DH)I take refuge in You.
²^[ad]I said to the Lord, “You are ^[ae]my Lord;
I ^(DI)have nothing good besides You.”
³As for the ^[af]^(DJ)saints who are on the earth,
^[ag]They are the majestic ones; ^(DK)all my delight is in them.
⁴^[ah]The ^(DL)pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of ^(DM)blood,
Nor will I ^(DN)take their names upon my lips.

⁵The Lord is the ^(DO)portion of my inheritance and my ^(DP)cup;
You support my ^(DQ)lot.
⁶The measuring ^(DR)lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is ^(DS)beautiful to me.

⁷I will bless the Lord who has ^(DT)advised me;
Indeed, my ^[ai]^(DU)mind instructs me in the night.
⁸^(DV)I have ^(DW)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is ^(DX)at my right hand, ^(DY)I will not be shaken.
⁹Therefore ^(DZ)my heart is glad and ^(EA)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will ^(EB)dwell securely.
¹⁰For You ^(EC)will not abandon my soul to ^[aj]Sheol;
You will not ^[ak]^(ED)allow Your ^[al]Holy One to ^[am]undergo decay.
¹¹You will make known to me ^(EE)the way of life;
In ^(EF)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are ^(EG)pleasures forever.

Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.

A Prayer of David.

17 Hear a ^(EH)just cause, Lord, ^(EI)give Your attention to my cry;
^(EJ)Listen to my prayer, which is not from ^(EK)deceitful lips.
²Let ^(EL)my ^[an]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with ^(EM)integrity.
³You have ^(EN)put my heart to the test;
You have visited me by night;
You have ^(EO)sifted me and ^(EP)You find ^[ao]nothing;
My ^(EQ)intent is that my mouth will not offend.
⁴As for the works of mankind, ^(ER)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the ^(ES)ways of the violent.
⁵My ^(ET)steps have held to Your ^[ap]paths.
My ^(EU)feet have not slipped.

⁶I have ^(EV)called upon You, for You will answer me, God;
^(EW)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
⁷^(EX)Show Your wonderful faithfulness,
^(EY)Savior of those who take refuge ^[aq]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
⁸Keep me as ^[ar]the ^(EZ)apple of the eye;
Hide me ^(FA)in the shadow of Your wings
⁹From the ^(FB)wicked who deal violently with me,
My ^(FC)deadly enemies who surround me.
¹⁰They have ^(FD)closed their ^[as]unfeeling hearts,
With their mouths they ^(FE)speak proudly.
¹¹They have now ^(FF)surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes ^(FG)to cast us down to the ground.
¹²He is ^(FH)like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion ^(FI)lurking in secret places.

¹³^(FJ)Arise, Lord, confront him, ^(FK)make him bow down;
^(FL)Save my soul from the wicked with ^(FM)Your sword,
¹⁴From people by ^(FN)Your hand, Lord,
From people ^[at]of the world, ^(FO)whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You ^(FP)fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And leave their abundance to their babies.
¹⁵As for me, I shall ^(FQ)behold Your face in righteousness;
^(FR)I shall be satisfied with Your ^(FS)likeness when I awake.

The Lord Praised for Rescuing David.

For the music director. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, ^[au]who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said,

18 “I love You, Lord, ^(FT)my strength.”
²The Lord is ^(FU)my rock and ^(FV)my fortress and my ^(FW)savior,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My ^(FX)shield and the ^(FY)horn of my salvation, my ^(FZ)stronghold.
³I call upon the Lord, who is ^(GA)worthy to be praised,
And I am ^(GB)saved from my enemies.

⁴The ^(GC)ropes of death encompassed me,
And the ^(GD)torrents of ^[av]destruction ^[aw]terrified me.
⁵The ^(GE)ropes of ^[ax]Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
⁶In my ^(GF)distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried to my God for help;
He heard my voice ^(GG)from His temple,
And my ^(GH)cry for help before Him came into His ears.

⁷Then the ^(GI)earth shook and quaked;
And the ^(GJ)foundations of the mountains were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.
⁸Smoke went up ^[ay]out of His nostrils,
And ^(GK)fire from His mouth was devouring;
Coals burned from it.
⁹He also ^(GL)bowed the heavens down low, and came down
With thick ^(GM)darkness under His feet.
¹⁰He rode on a ^(GN)cherub and flew;
And He sped on the ^(GO)wings of the wind.
¹¹He made ^(GP)darkness His hiding place, ^(GQ)His ^[az]canopy around Him,
Darkness of waters, thick clouds.
¹²From the ^(GR)brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,
Hailstones and ^(GS)coals of fire.
¹³The Lord also ^(GT)thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴He ^(GU)sent out His arrows, and scattered them,
And lightning flashes in abundance, and ^[ba]routed them.
¹⁵Then the ^(GV)channels of water appeared,
And the foundations of the world were exposed
By Your ^(GW)rebuke, Lord,
At the blast of the ^(GX)breath of Your nostrils.

¹⁶He ^(GY)sent from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of ^(GZ)many waters.
¹⁷He ^(HA)saved me from my strong enemy,
And from those who hated me, for they were ^(HB)too mighty for me.
¹⁸They confronted me in ^(HC)the day of my disaster,
But ^(HD)the Lord was my support.
¹⁹He also brought me out into an ^(HE)open place;
He rescued me, because ^(HF)He delighted in me.

²⁰The Lord has ^(HG)rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the ^(HH)cleanness of my hands He has repaid me.
²¹For I have ^(HI)kept the ways of the Lord,
And have ^(HJ)not acted wickedly against my God.
²²For all ^(HK)His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His ^(HL)statutes from me.
²³I was also ^[bb]^(HM)blameless with Him,
And I ^(HN)kept myself from my wrongdoing.
²⁴Therefore the Lord has ^(HO)repaid me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

²⁵With ^(HP)the faithful You show Yourself faithful;
With the ^[bc]blameless ^(HQ)You prove Yourself blameless;
²⁶With the pure You show Yourself ^(HR)pure,
And with the crooked ^(HS)You show Yourself ^[bd]astute.
²⁷For You ^(HT)save an afflicted people,
But You humiliate ^(HU)haughty eyes.
²⁸For You ^(HV)light my lamp;
The Lord my God ^(HW)illumines my darkness.
²⁹For by You I can ^(HX)run at a ^[be]troop of warriors;
And by my God I can ^(HY)leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, His way is ^[bf]^(HZ)blameless;
The ^(IA)word of the Lord is refined;
He is a ^(IB)shield to all who take refuge in Him.
³¹For ^(IC)who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a ^(ID)rock, except our God,
³²The God who ^(IE)encircles me with strength,
And ^[bg]makes my way ^[bh]^(IF)blameless?
³³He ^(IG)makes my feet like deer’s feet,
And ^(IH)sets me up on my high places.
³⁴He ^(II)trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can ^(IJ)bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵You have also given me ^(IK)the shield of Your salvation,
And Your ^(IL)right hand upholds me;
And ^(IM)Your ^[bi]gentleness makes me great.
³⁶You ^(IN)enlarge my steps under me,
And my ^[bj]^(IO)feet have not slipped.

³⁷I ^(IP)pursued my enemies and overtook them,
And I did not turn back ^(IQ)until they were consumed.
³⁸I shattered them, so that they were ^(IR)not able to rise;
They fell ^(IS)under my feet.
³⁹For You have ^(IT)encircled me with strength for battle;
You have forced those who rose up against me ^(IU)to bow down under me.
⁴⁰You have also made my enemies ^(IV)turn their backs to me,
And I ^[bk]^(IW)destroyed those who hated me.
⁴¹They cried for help, but there was ^(IX)no one to save,
They cried to the Lord, but ^(IY)He did not answer them.
⁴²Then I beat them fine like the ^(IZ)dust before the wind;
I emptied them out like the mud of the streets.

⁴³You have rescued me from the ^(JA)contentions of the people;
You have placed me as ^(JB)head of the nations;
A ^(JC)people whom I have not known serve me.
⁴⁴As soon as they hear, they obey me;
Foreigners ^(JD)pretend to obey me.
⁴⁵Foreigners ^(JE)lose heart,
And ^(JF)come trembling out of their ^[bl]fortresses.

⁴⁶The Lord ^(JG)lives, and blessed be ^(JH)my rock;
And exalted be ^(JI)the God of my salvation,
⁴⁷The God who ^(JJ)executes vengeance for me,
And ^(JK)subdues peoples under me.
⁴⁸He ^(JL)rescues me from my enemies;
You indeed ^(JM)lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from a ^(JN)violent man.
⁴⁹Therefore I will ^(JO)give thanks to You among the nations, Lord,
And I will ^(JP)sing praises to Your name.
⁵⁰He gives great ^[bm]^(JQ)salvation to His king,
And shows faithfulness to ^(JR)His anointed,
To David and ^(JS)his ^[bn]descendants forever.