1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs--O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! |
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud. |
3 LORD, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph? |
4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. |
5 They break in pieces Your people, O LORD, And afflict Your heritage. |
6 They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless. |
7 Yet they say, "The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand." |
8 Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise? |
9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? |
10 He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? |
11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile. |
12 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD, And teach out of Your law, |
13 That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked. |
14 For the LORD will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. |
15 But judgment will return to righteousness, And all the upright in heart will follow it. |
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? |
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence. |
18 If I say, "My foot slips," Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up. |
19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. |
20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You? |
21 They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood. |
22 But the LORD has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. |
23 He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The LORD our God shall cut them off. |