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10 Lord, why are you so far away?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

An evil person is proud and hunts down those who are weak.
    He catches weak people by making clever plans.
He brags about what his heart desires.
    He speaks well of those who always want more.
    He attacks the Lord with his words.
Because he is proud, that evil person doesn’t turn to the Lord.
    There is no room for God in any of his thoughts.
Everything always goes well for him.
    So he is proud.
He doesn’t want to have anything to do with God’s laws.
    He makes fun of all his enemies.
He says to himself, “I will always be secure.”
    He promises himself, “No one will ever harm me.”
His mouth is full of lies and warnings.
    With his tongue he speaks evil and makes trouble.

Sinful people hide and wait near the villages.
    From their hiding places they murder people who aren’t guilty.
    They watch in secret for those they want to attack.
They hide and wait like a lion in the bushes.
    From their hiding places they wait to catch those who are helpless.
    They catch them and drag them off in their nets.
10 Those they have attacked are beaten up. They fall to the ground.
    They fall because their attackers are too strong for them.
11 Sinful people say to themselves, “God will never notice.
    He covers his face. He never sees us.”

12 Lord, rise up! God, show your power!
    Don’t forget those who are helpless.
13 Why do sinful people attack you with their words?
    Why do they say to themselves,
    “He won’t hold us accountable”?
14 God, you see the problems of people in trouble.
    You take note of their pain. You do something about it.
So those who are attacked place themselves in your care.
    You help children whose fathers have died.
15 Take away the power of sinful people.
    Hold them accountable for the evil things they do.
    Uncover all the evil they have done.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever.
    The nations will disappear from his land.
17 Lord, you hear the desires of those who are hurting.
    You cheer them up and give them hope.
    You listen to their cries.
18 You stand up for those whose fathers have died
    and for those who have been treated badly.
You do it so that mere human beings made of dust
    may not terrify others anymore.

Psalm 10[a]

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?(A)
    Why do you hide yourself(B) in times of trouble?

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,(C)
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts(D) about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.(E)
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.(F)
His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by[b] him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”(G)

His mouth is full(H) of lies and threats;(I)
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.(J)
He lies in wait(K) near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.(L)
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
    like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;(M)
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.(N)
10 His victims are crushed,(O) they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;(P)
    he covers his face and never sees.”(Q)

12 Arise,(R) Lord! Lift up your hand,(S) O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.(T)
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?(U)
    Why does he say to himself,
    “He won’t call me to account”?(V)
14 But you, God, see the trouble(W) of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;(X)
    you are the helper(Y) of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;(Z)
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;(AA)
    the nations(AB) will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;(AC)
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,(AD)
18 defending the fatherless(AE) and the oppressed,(AF)
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 10:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
  2. Psalm 10:5 See Septuagint; Hebrew / they are haughty, and your laws are far from