Psalm 10:2-11
New Catholic Bible
2 In his arrogance the wicked hunts down the poor;
let him be ensnared by the schemes he has devised.
3 The wicked boasts of his wicked desires;
he upholds the greedy and renounces the Lord.
4 Filled with arrogance, he does not seek God,
but thinks, “God does not exist.”[a]
5 The wicked always seems to prosper;
your judgments are far from his mind,
and he scoffs at all those who oppose him.
6 He says in his heart,[b] “I will not be swayed;
I will never experience misfortune.”
7 His mouth is filled with curses, deceit, and threats;[c]
his tongue breeds evil and malice.
8 He lies in wait near the villages,
and from ambush he slays the innocent;
his eyes are on the watch for the helpless.
9 He lies in wait like a lurking lion,
ready to strike the helpless;
he snares his victims,
seizing them in his net.
10 He crouches and lies low,
and the poor are overwhelmed by his might.
11 He thinks in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
he hides his face and will never see what is happening.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 10:4 In denying the action of Providence the wicked in effect denies God (see Pss 10:13; 14:1b; 36:2f; Zep 1:12), who is some far-off personage (Ps 10:5).
- Psalm 10:6 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 10:7 Curses, deceit, and threats: this text, which contains the three most common weapons of the tongue in Israel’s experience, is cited in Rom 3:14. Curses were believed to have real power over those upon whom they were leveled; deceit referred to slander and threats for evil purposes (see 1 Ki 21:8-15).
