10

Why, Lord, do You stand far off?
Why do You hide Yourself in the trouble times?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak
Who are caught in the schemes he devises

He boasts about the cravings of his heart
He blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord
In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him
In all his thoughts there is no room for God

His ways are always prosperous
Your laws are rejected by 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, I’ll be always victorious”

His mouth is full of lies and threats
Trouble and evil are under his tongue, his ways are violent
He lies in wait near the villages
From ambush he murders the innocent

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
He catches the helpless and drags them off in his net

His victims are crushed, they collapse
They fall under the strength of his
He says to himself, “God will never notice
He covers his face and never sees”

Arise, Lord! Lift up Your hand, O God
Do not forget the helpless
Why does the wicked man revile God?
O God, help us!

Why does he say to himself
“He won’t call me to account”?
But You, God, see the trouble of the afflicted
You consider their grief and take it in hand

The victims commit themselves to You
You are the helper of the fatherless
Break the arm of the wicked man
Call the evildoer to account for his wickedness

Call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
That would not otherwise be found out, without Your command
The Lord is King for ever and ever
The nations will perish from His land

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted
You encourage them, and You listen to their cry of scare
Defending the fatherless and the oppressed
So that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror