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A Complaint About Evil People

10 Lord, why are you so far away?
    Why do you hide when there is trouble?
Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer.
    The wicked set traps to catch them.
They brag about the things they want.
    They bless the greedy but hate the Lord.
The wicked people are too proud.
    They do not look for God.
    There is no room for God in their thoughts.
They always succeed.
    They are far from keeping your laws.
    They make fun of their enemies.
They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to me.
    I will never be ruined.”
Their mouths are full of curses, lies and threats.
    They use their tongues for sin and evil.
They hide near the villages.
    They look for innocent people to kill.
    They watch in secret for the helpless.
They wait in hiding like a lion.
    They wait to catch poor people.
    They catch the poor in nets.
10 The poor are thrown down and crushed.
    They are defeated because the others are stronger.
11 The wicked think,
    “God has forgotten us.
    He doesn’t see what is happening.”

12 Lord, rise up and punish the wicked.
    Don’t forget those who need help.
13 Why do wicked people hate God?
    They say to themselves, “God won’t punish us.”
14 Lord, surely you see these cruel and evil things.
    Look at them and do something.
People in trouble look to you for help.
    You are the one who helps the orphans.
15 Break the power of wicked men.
    Punish them for the evil they have done.

16 The Lord is King forever and ever.
    Remove from your land those nations that do not worship you.
17 Lord, you have heard what the poor people want.
    Do what they ask. Listen to them.
18 Protect the orphans. Put an end to suffering.
    Then they will no longer be afraid of evil people.

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