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God the Judge of All

94 Lord, you are a God who punishes;
    reveal your anger!
You are the judge of us all;
    rise and give the proud what they deserve!
How much longer will the wicked be glad?
    How much longer, Lord?
How much longer will criminals be proud
    and boast about their crimes?

They crush your people, Lord;
    they oppress those who belong to you.
They kill widows and orphans,
    and murder the strangers who live in our land.
They say, “The Lord does not see us;
    the God of Israel does not notice.”

My people, how can you be such stupid fools?
    When will you ever learn?
God made our ears—can't he hear?
    He made our eyes—can't he see?
10 He scolds the nations—won't he punish them?[a]
    He is the teacher of us all—hasn't he any knowledge?
11 (A)The Lord knows what we think;
    he knows how senseless our reasoning is.

12 Lord, how happy are those you instruct,
    the ones to whom you teach your law!
13 You give them rest from days of trouble
    until a pit is dug to trap the wicked.
14 The Lord will not abandon his people;
    he will not desert those who belong to him.
15 Justice will again be found in the courts,
    and all righteous people will support it.

16 Who stood up for me against the wicked?
    Who took my side against the evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not helped me,
    I would have gone quickly to the land of silence.[b]
18 I said, “I am falling”;
    but your constant love, O Lord, held me up.
19 Whenever I am anxious and worried,
    you comfort me and make me glad.

20 You have nothing to do with corrupt judges,
    who make injustice legal,
21     who plot against good people
    and sentence the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord defends me;
    my God protects me.
23 He will punish them for their wickedness
    and destroy them for their sins;
    the Lord our God will destroy them.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 94:10 them?; or our wicked leaders?
  2. Psalm 94:17 The world of the dead (see 6.5).

Psalm 94

The Lord is a God who avenges.(A)
    O God who avenges, shine forth.(B)
Rise up,(C) Judge(D) of the earth;
    pay back(E) to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked,
    how long will the wicked be jubilant?(F)

They pour out arrogant(G) words;
    all the evildoers are full of boasting.(H)
They crush your people,(I) Lord;
    they oppress your inheritance.(J)
They slay the widow(K) and the foreigner;
    they murder the fatherless.(L)
They say, “The Lord does not see;(M)
    the God of Jacob(N) takes no notice.”

Take notice, you senseless ones(O) among the people;
    you fools, when will you become wise?
Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
    Does he who formed the eye not see?(P)
10 Does he who disciplines(Q) nations not punish?
    Does he who teaches(R) mankind lack knowledge?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;(S)
    he knows that they are futile.(T)

12 Blessed is the one you discipline,(U) Lord,
    the one you teach(V) from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,(W)
    till a pit(X) is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;(Y)
    he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,(Z)
    and all the upright in heart(AA) will follow it.

16 Who will rise up(AB) for me against the wicked?
    Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?(AC)
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,(AD)
    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.(AE)
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,(AF)
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety(AG) was great within me,
    your consolation(AH) brought me joy.

20 Can a corrupt throne(AI) be allied with you—
    a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?(AJ)
21 The wicked band together(AK) against the righteous
    and condemn the innocent(AL) to death.(AM)
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
    and my God the rock(AN) in whom I take refuge.(AO)
23 He will repay(AP) them for their sins
    and destroy(AQ) them for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will destroy them.

A Song of Praise

95 Come, let us praise the Lord!
    Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us!
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
    and sing joyful songs of praise.
For the Lord is a mighty God,
    a mighty king over all the gods.
He rules over the whole earth,
    from the deepest caves to the highest hills.
He rules over the sea, which he made;
    the land also, which he himself formed.

Come, let us bow down and worship him;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
(A)He is our God;
    we are the people he cares for,
    the flock for which he provides.

Listen today to what he says:
(B)“Don't be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,
    as they were that day in the desert at Massah.
There they put me to the test and tried me,
    although they had seen what I did for them.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with those people.
    I said, ‘How disloyal they are!
    They refuse to obey my commands.’
11 (C)I was angry and made a solemn promise:
    ‘You will never enter the land
    where I would have given you rest.’”

Psalm 95

Come,(A) let us sing for joy(B) to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud(C) to the Rock(D) of our salvation.
Let us come before him(E) with thanksgiving(F)
    and extol him with music(G) and song.

For the Lord is the great God,(H)
    the great King(I) above all gods.(J)
In his hand are the depths of the earth,(K)
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.(L)

Come, let us bow down(M) in worship,(N)
    let us kneel(O) before the Lord our Maker;(P)
for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,(Q)
    the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts(R) as you did at Meribah,[a](S)
    as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness,(T)
where your ancestors tested(U) me;
    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years(V) I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,(W)
    and they have not known my ways.’(X)
11 So I declared on oath(Y) in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”(Z)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 95:8 Meribah means quarreling.
  2. Psalm 95:8 Massah means testing.