1Why, Lord , do you stand afar
and pay no heed in times of trouble?
2Arrogant scoundrels pursue the poor;
they trap them by their cunning schemes.
3The wicked even boast of their greed;
these robbers curse and scorn the Lord .
4In their insolence the wicked boast:
“God does not care; there is no God.”
5Yet their affairs always succeed;
they ignore your judgment on high;
they sneer at all who oppose them.
6They say in their hearts, “We will never fall;
never will we see misfortune.”
7Their mouths are full of oaths, violence, and lies;
discord and evil are under their tongues.
8They wait in ambush near towns;
their eyes watch for the helpless
to murder the innocent in secret.
9They lurk in ambush like lions in a thicket,
hide there to trap the poor,
snare them and close the net.
10The helpless are crushed, laid low;
they fall into the power of the wicked,
11Who say in their hearts, “God has forgotten,
shows no concern, never bothers to look.”
12Rise up, Lord ! God, lift up your hand!
Do not forget the poor!
13Why should the wicked scorn God,
say in their hearts, “God does not care”?
14But you do see;
you take note of misery and sorrow;
you take the matter in hand.
To you the helpless can entrust their cause;
you are the defender of orphans.
15Break the arm of the wicked and depraved;
make them account for their crimes;
let none of them survive.
16The Lord is king forever;[#Ps 145:13; Jer 10:10.]
the nations have vanished from his land.
17You listen, Lord , to the needs of the poor;
you strengthen their heart and incline your ear.
18You win justice for the orphaned and oppressed;[#Dt 10:18.]
no one on earth will cause terror again.