Psalms 10

₁Why are you so far away, O LORD?

Why do you hide yourself when we are in trouble?

₂The wicked are proud and persecute the poor;

catch them in the traps they have made.

₃The wicked are proud of their evil desires;

the greedy curse and reject the LORD.

₄The wicked do not care about the LORD;

in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.

₅The wicked succeed in everything.

They cannot understand God's judgements;

they sneer at their enemies.

₆They say to themselves, “I will never fail;

I will never be in trouble.”

₇Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats;

they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.

₈They hide themselves in the villages,

waiting to murder innocent people.

They spy on their helpless victims;

₉they wait in their hiding places like lions.

They lie in wait for the poor;

they catch them in their traps and drag them away.

₁₀The helpless victims lie crushed;

brute strength has defeated them.

₁₁The wicked say to themselves, “God doesn't care!

He has closed his eyes and will never see me!”

₁₂O LORD, punish those wicked people!

Remember those who are suffering!

₁₃How can the wicked despise God

and say to themselves, “He will not punish me”?

₁₄But you do see; you take notice of trouble and suffering

and are always ready to help.

The helpless commit themselves to you;

you have always helped the needy.

₁₅Break the power of wicked and evil people;

punish them for the wrong they have done

until they do it no more.

₁₆The LORD is king for ever and ever.

Those who worship other gods

will vanish from his land.

₁₇You will listen, O LORD, to the prayers of the lowly;

you will give them courage.

₁₈You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans;

you will judge in their favour,

so that mortal men may cause terror no more.