Psalms 94

Psalm 94

God the Avenger of the Righteous

1O Lord , you God of vengeance,[#Deut 32.35; Ps 50.2]

you God of vengeance, shine forth!

2Rise up, O judge of the earth;[#Ps 7.6; 31.23]

give to the proud what they deserve!

3O Lord , how long shall the wicked,[#Job 20.5]

how long shall the wicked exult?

4They pour out their arrogant words;[#Ps 10.3; 31.18]

all the evildoers boast.

5They crush your people, O Lord ,

and afflict your heritage.

6They kill the widow and the stranger;

they murder the orphan,

7and they say, “The Lord does not see;[#Ps 10.11]

the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8Understand, O dullest of the people;[#Ps 92.6]

fools, when will you be wise?

9He who planted the ear, does he not hear?[#Ex 4.11; Prov 20.12]

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10He who disciplines the nations,[#Job 35.11; Ps 44.2; Isa 28.26]

he who teaches knowledge to humankind,

does he not chastise?

11The Lord knows our thoughts,[#1 Cor 3.20; #94.11 Heb the thoughts of humankind]

that they are but an empty breath.

12Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord ,[#Job 5.17; Heb 12.5]

and whom you teach out of your law,

13giving them respite from days of trouble,

until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14For the Lord will not forsake his people;[#1 Sam 12.22; Rom 11.1, 2]

he will not abandon his heritage;

15for justice will return to the righteous,

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16Who rises up for me against the wicked?[#Ps 59.2; Isa 28.21]

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

17If the Lord had not been my help,[#Ps 124.1]

my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.

18When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”[#Ps 38.16]

your steadfast love, O Lord , held me up.

19When the cares of my heart are many,[#Isa 66.13]

your consolations cheer my soul.

20Can wicked rulers be allied with you,[#Isa 10.1; Am 6.3]

those who contrive mischief by statute?

21They band together against the life of the righteous[#Ps 56.6; Prov 17.15]

and condemn the innocent to death.

22But the Lord has become my stronghold[#Ps 59.9; 71.7]

and my God the rock of my refuge.

23He will repay them for their iniquity[#Ps 7.16]

and wipe them out for their wickedness;

the Lord our God will wipe them out.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by: National Council of the Churches of Christ