¹Why do You stand far off, O Lord ?[#Ps 22:1]

Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

²In arrogance the wicked persecutes the poor;

let them be caught in the devices they have planned.

³For the wicked boasts of his soul’s desire,[#Ps 49:6; 94:4]

and blesses the greedy and despises the Lord .

⁴The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek God;

God is not in all his thoughts.

⁵His ways are always prosperous;

Your judgments are high and distant from him;

as for all his enemies, he scoffs at them.

⁶He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

for generations I shall not meet adversity.”

⁷His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;[#Job 20:12]

under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

⁸He sits in the lurking places of the villages;[#Hab 3:14]

in the secret places he murders the innocent;

his eyes lurk against the unfortunate.

⁹He lies in wait secretly as a lion in his den;[#Ps 17:12; 59:3]

he lies in wait to catch the poor;

he catches the poor, drawing them into his net.

¹⁰He crouches; he lies low,

so that the unfortunate falls by his strength.

¹¹He says in his heart, “God has forgotten;

He hides His face; He will never see it.”

¹²Arise, O Lord ! O God, lift up Your hand![#Mic 5:9]

Do not forget the humble.

¹³Why do the wicked despise God?

He says in his heart,

“You will not require an account.”

¹⁴You have seen it, for You observe trouble and grief,

to repay it with Your hand.

The helpless commits himself to You;

You are the helper of the orphan.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;[#Ps 37:17]

seek out his wickedness

until You find none.

¹⁶The Lord is King forever and ever;[#Ps 29:10]

the nations perished from His land.

¹⁷The desire of the humble You have heard, O Lord ;[#1Ch 29:18; Ps 9:18]

You make their heart attentive; You bend Your ear

¹⁸to judge the orphan and the oppressed;[#Ps 9:9; 82:3]

man on earth no longer trembles.