[1] Why do you stand so far away, LORD, hiding yourself in troubling times? [2] Meanwhile, the wicked are proudly in hot pursuit of those who suffer. Let them get caught in the very same schemes they’ve thought up! [3] The wicked brag about their body’s cravings; the greedy reject the LORD, cursing. [4] At the peak of their wrath, the wicked don’t seek God: There’s no God—that’s what they are always thinking. [5] Their ways are always twisted. Your rules are too lofty for them. They snort at all their foes. [6] They think to themselves, We’ll never stumble. We’ll never encounter any resistance. [7] Their mouths are filled with curses, dishonesty, violence. Under their tongues lie troublemaking and wrongdoing. [8] They wait in a place perfect for ambush; from their hiding places they kill innocent people; their eyes spot those who are helpless. [9] They lie in ambush in secret places, like a lion in its lair. They lie in ambush so they can seize those who suffer! They seize the poor, all right, dragging them off in their nets. [10] Their helpless victims are crushed; they collapse, falling prey to the strength of the wicked. [11] The wicked think to themselves: God has forgotten. God has hidden his face. God never sees anything! [12] Get up, LORD! Get your fist ready, God! Don’t forget the ones who suffer! [13] Why do the wicked reject God? Why do they think to themselves that you won’t find out? [14] But you do see! You do see troublemaking and grief, and you do something about it! The helpless leave it all to you. You are the orphan’s helper. [15] Break the arms of those who are wicked and evil. Seek out their wickedness until there’s no more to find. [16] The LORD rules forever and always! The nations will vanish from his land. [17] LORD, you listen to the desires of those who suffer. You steady their hearts; you listen closely to them, [18] to establish justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that people of the land will never again be terrified.
