The Lord is Concealed

¹Lord, why do you seem so far away when evil is near?

Why have you hidden yourself when I need you the most?

²The arrogant in their elitist pride persecute the poor and helpless.

May you pour out upon them

the very evil they’ve dreamed up against others!

³How they brag and boast of their cravings, exalting the greedy.

They congratulate themselves as they despise you—

⁴these arrogant ones, so smug and secure!

In their delusion the wicked boast, saying,

“God doesn’t care about what we do.

There’s nothing to worry about!”

⁵So successful are they in their schemes

and prosperous in all their plans!

Your laws are far from them;

they scoff at their enemies.

⁶They boast that neither God nor men will bring them down.

They sneer at all their enemies, saying in their hearts,

“We’ll have success in all we do

and never have to face trouble.”

⁷Their mouths spew out cursing, lies, and threats.

Only trouble and turmoil come from all their plans.

^8-9Like beasts lurking in the shadows of the city,

they crouch silently in ambush, waiting for the innocent to pass by.

Pouncing on the poor, they catch them in their snare

to murder their prey in secret

as they plunder their helpless victims.

¹⁰They crush the lowly as they fall beneath their brutal blows,

watching their victims collapse in defeat!

¹¹Then they say to themselves,

“The Lofty One is not watching while we do this.

He doesn’t even care! We can get away with it!”

The Lord is Concerned

¹²Now arise, Yahweh -God! Crush them once and for all!

Don’t forget the helpless and oppressed.

¹³How dare the wicked think they’ll reject God and escape judgment.

They say to themselves,

“God won’t hold me accountable.”

¹⁴Lord, I know you see all that they’re doing,

noting their each and every deed.

You know the trouble and turmoil they’ve caused.

Now punish them thoroughly for all that they’ve done!

The poor and helpless ones trust in you, Lord,

for you are famous for being the helper of the fatherless.

I know you won’t let them down.

¹⁵Break the power of the wicked and all their strong-arm tactics.

Search them out and destroy them

for the evil things they’ve done.

¹⁶You, Yahweh , are King forever and ever!

All the nations will perish from your land.

¹⁷Yahweh , you have heard the desires of the humble

and seen their hopes .

You will hear their cries and encourage their hearts.

¹⁸The orphans and the oppressed will be terrified no longer,

for you will bring them justice, and no earth-dweller will trouble them again.