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?
In (C)arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the needy;
[b]Let them be (D)caught in the plots which they have devised.

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

His 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.
He says to himself, “(L)I will not be moved;
[e]Throughout the generations (M)I will not be in adversity.”
His (N)mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and (O)oppression;
(P)Under his tongue is harm and injustice.
He 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.
He 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.
10 Then he crushes the needy one, who cowers;
And [i]unfortunate people fall by his mighty power.
11 He (X)says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

12 Arise, Lord; God, (Y)lift up Your hand.
(Z)Do not forget the humble.
13 Why has the wicked (AA)treated God disrespectfully?
He has said to himself, “[j]You will not require an account.”
14 You 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.

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

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 10:1 Or Your eyes
  2. Psalm 10:2 Or They will be caught
  3. Psalm 10:3 Or blesses the greedy man
  4. Psalm 10:4 Lit the height of his nose
  5. Psalm 10:6 Lit To
  6. Psalm 10:8 Lit lie in wait
  7. Psalm 10:8 Or poor
  8. Psalm 10:9 Or thicket
  9. Psalm 10:10 Or unhappy
  10. Psalm 10:13 I.e., as though God will ignore it
  11. Psalm 10:14 Lit put, give
  12. Psalm 10:14 Or poor
  13. Psalm 10:15 Or May You seek
  14. Psalm 10:18 Lit judge

Psalm 10

Lord,[a][b] why do You stand so far away?(A)
Why do You hide in times of trouble?(B)
In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(C)

For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;(D)
the one who is greedy curses[c] and despises the Lord.(E)
In all his scheming,
the wicked arrogantly thinks:[d]
“There is no accountability,
since God does not exist.”(F)
His ways are always secure;[e]
Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;
he scoffs at all his adversaries.(G)
He says to himself, “I will never be moved—
from generation to generation without calamity.”(H)
Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.(I)
He waits in ambush near the villages;(J)
he kills the innocent in secret places.
His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;(K)
he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.
He lurks in order to seize the afflicted;
he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.
10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;
the helpless fall because of his strength.(L)
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face and will never see.”(M)

12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up Your hand.(N)
Do not forget the afflicted.(O)
13 Why has the wicked person despised God?
He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”(P)
14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.(Q)
The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless.(R)
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person;(S)
call his wickedness into account
until nothing remains of it.[f](T)

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;(U)
the nations will perish from His land.(V)
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;[g]
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,(W)
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.(X)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 10:1 Some Hb mss, LXX connect Pss 9–10.
  2. Psalm 10:1 Together these 2 psalms form a partial acrostic.
  3. Psalm 10:3 Or he blesses the greedy
  4. Psalm 10:4 Lit wicked according to the height of his nose
  5. Psalm 10:5 Or prosperous
  6. Psalm 10:15 Lit account You do not find
  7. Psalm 10:17 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read afflicted