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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

God the Avenger of the Righteous

O Lord, you God of vengeance,
    you God of vengeance, shine forth!(A)
Rise up, O judge of the earth;
    give to the proud what they deserve!(B)
O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
    how long shall the wicked exult?(C)

They pour out their arrogant words;
    all the evildoers boast.(D)
They crush your people, O Lord,
    and afflict your heritage.
They kill the widow and the stranger;
    they murder the orphan,
and they say, “The Lord does not see;
    the God of Jacob does not perceive.”(E)

Understand, O dullest of the people;
    fools, when will you be wise?(F)
He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?(G)
10 He who disciplines the nations,
he who teaches knowledge to humankind,
    does he not chastise?(H)
11 The Lord knows our thoughts,[a]
    that they are but an empty breath.(I)

12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord,
    and whom you teach out of your law,(J)
13 giving them respite from days of trouble,
    until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
    he will not abandon his heritage;(K)
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
    and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
    Who stands up for me against evildoers?(L)
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
    my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.(M)
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.(N)
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.(O)
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
    those who contrive mischief by statute?(P)
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
    and condemn the innocent to death.(Q)
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold
    and my God the rock of my refuge.(R)
23 He will repay them for their iniquity
    and wipe them out for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will wipe them out.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 94.11 Heb the thoughts of humankind

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

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

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

They say, “Yah isn’t looking;
the God of Ya‘akov won’t notice.”
Take notice, yourselves, you boors among the people!
You fools, when will you understand?
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.

94 1-2 God, put an end to evil;
    avenging God, show your colors!
Judge of the earth, take your stand;
    throw the book at the arrogant.

3-4 God, the wicked get away with murder—
    how long will you let this go on?
They brag and boast
    and crow about their crimes!

5-7 They walk all over your people, God,
    exploit and abuse your precious people.
They take out anyone who gets in their way;
    if they can’t use them, they kill them.
They think, “God isn’t looking,
    Jacob’s God is out to lunch.”

8-11 Well, think again, you idiots,
    fools—how long before you get smart?
Do you think Ear-Maker doesn’t hear,
    Eye-Shaper doesn’t see?
Do you think the trainer of nations doesn’t correct,
    the teacher of Adam doesn’t know?
God knows, all right—
    knows your stupidity,
    sees your shallowness.

12-15 How blessed the man you train, God,
    the woman you instruct in your Word,
Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil,
    while a jail is being built for the wicked.
God will never walk away from his people,
    never desert his precious people.
Rest assured that justice is on its way
    and every good heart put right.

16-19 Who stood up for me against the wicked?
    Who took my side against evil workers?
If God hadn’t been there for me,
    I never would have made it.
The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”
    your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
When I was upset and beside myself,
    you calmed me down and cheered me up.

20-23 Can Misrule have anything in common with you?
    Can Troublemaker pretend to be on your side?
They ganged up on good people,
    plotted behind the backs of the innocent.
But God became my hideout,
    God was my high mountain retreat,
Then boomeranged their evil back on them:
    for their evil ways he wiped them out,
    our God cleaned them out for good.

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.