[1] O LORD God, You to whom vengeance belongs, O God, You to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth [in judgment]! [2] Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Give to the proud a fitting compensation. [3] O LORD, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked rejoice in triumph? [4] They pour out words, speaking arrogant things; All who do evil boast proudly. [5] They crush Your people, O LORD, And afflict and abuse Your heritage. [6] They kill the widow and the alien And murder the fatherless. [7] Yet they say, “The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob (Israel) notice it.” [8] Consider thoughtfully, you senseless (stupid ones) among the people; And you [dull-minded] fools, when will you become wise and understand? [9] He who made the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see? [10] He who instructs the nations, Does He not rebuke and punish, He who teaches man knowledge? [11] The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath (vain, empty, futile). [12] Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O LORD, And whom You teach from Your law, [13] That You may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked and ungodly. [14] For the LORD will not abandon His people, Nor will He abandon His inheritance. [15] For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it. [16] Who will stand up for me against the evildoers? Who will take a stand for me against those who do wickedness? [17] If the LORD had not been my help, I would soon have dwelt in [the land of] silence. [18] If I say, “My foot has slipped,” Your compassion and lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. [19] When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comforts delight me. [20] Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, One which frames and devises mischief by decree [under the sacred name of law]? [21] They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death. [22] But the LORD has become my high tower and defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. [23] He has turned back their own wickedness upon them And will destroy them by means of their own evil; The LORD our God will wipe them out.
