Psalms 94
1 The Lord is a God of vengeance! God of vengeance, shine out!
Yahweh, God who avenges, God who avenges, shine over us.
2 Stand up, judge of the earth, and pay back those who are proud what they deserve.
Rise up, judge of the earth, give to the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, Lord? How long will the wicked celebrate in triumph?
How long will the wicked, Yahweh, how long will the wicked rejoice?
4 How long will you let them pour out their arrogant words? How long will these evil people go on boasting?
They pour out their arrogant words; all those who do evil boast.
5 Lord, they crush your people; they oppress those you call your own.
They crush your people, Yahweh; they afflict the nation that belongs to you.
6 They kill widows and foreigners; they murder orphans.
They kill the widow and foreigner who lives in their country, and they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, “The Lord can't see what we're doing. Israel's God doesn't pay any attention to us.”
They say, “Yahweh will not see, the God of Jacob does not take notice of it.”
8 Take another look, you stupid people! Fools—when will you ever get the point?
Understand, you stupid people! You fools, when will you ever learn?
9 Do you think the creator of the ear can't hear? Do you think the maker of the eye can't see?
He who made the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 Do you think that the one who punishes nations won't punish you too? Do you think that the one who teaches human beings knowledge doesn't know anything?
He who disciplines the nations, does he not correct? He is the one who gives knowledge to man.
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of human beings—he knows they are pointless.
Yahweh knows the thoughts of men, that they are vapor.
12 Those you discipline are happy, Lord; those you teach from your Law.
Blessed is the one whom you instruct, Yahweh, the one whom you teach from your law.
13 You give them peace in days of trouble, until a pit is dug to trap the wicked.
You give him rest in times of trouble until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not give up on his people; he will not abandon his own.
For Yahweh will not forsake his people or abandon his inheritance.
15 Justice will once again be based on what is right; those who are sincere will support it.
For judgment will again be righteous; and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who came to my defense against the wicked; who stood up for me against those who do evil?
Who will rise up to defend me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the wicked?
17 If the Lord hadn't helped me, I would have soon gone down into the silence of the grave.
Unless Yahweh had been my help, I would soon be lying down in the place of silence.
18 I shouted out, “My foot's slipping!” and your trustworthy love, Lord, kept me from falling.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,” Your covenant faithfulness, Yahweh, held me up.
19 When my mind was full of worries, you comforted me and encouraged me.
When cares within me are many, your consolations make me happy.
20 Can unjust judges really be on your side, Lord, when their corrupt use of the law causes misery?
Can a throne of destruction be allied with you, one who creates injustice by statute?
21 They work together to destroy good people; they condemn those who are innocent to death.
They conspire together to take the life of the righteous and they condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord protects me like a fortress; my God is the rock that keeps me safe.
But Yahweh has been my high tower, and my God has been the rock of my refuge.
23 He will turn the wickedness of evil people back upon them; he will destroy them because of their sins; the Lord our God will destroy them.
He will bring on them their own iniquity and will cut them off in their own wickedness. Yahweh our God will cut them off.
