Psalm 10

¹O Lord, why do you stand so far away?

Why do you hide when I am in trouble?

²The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.

Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.

³For they brag about their evil desires;

they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

⁴The wicked are too proud to seek God.

They seem to think that God is dead.

⁵Yet they succeed in everything they do.

They do not see your punishment awaiting them.

They sneer at all their enemies.

⁶They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!

We will be free of trouble forever!”

⁷Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.^a

Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.

⁸They lurk in ambush in the villages,

waiting to murder innocent people.

They are always searching for helpless victims.

⁹Like lions crouched in hiding,

they wait to pounce on the helpless.

Like hunters they capture the helpless

and drag them away in nets.

¹⁰Their helpless victims are crushed;

they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.

¹¹The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!

He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

¹²Arise, O Lord!

Punish the wicked, O God!

Do not ignore the helpless!

¹³Why do the wicked get away with despising God?

They think, “God will never call us to account.”

¹⁴But you see the trouble and grief they cause.

You take note of it and punish them.

The helpless put their trust in you.

You defend the orphans.

¹⁵Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!

Go after them until the last one is destroyed.

¹⁶The Lord is king forever and ever!

The godless nations will vanish from the land.

¹⁷Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.

Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.

¹⁸You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,

so mere people can no longer terrify them.