Psalms 94
1 The Lord is a God of vengeance! God of vengeance, shine out!
LORD, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out.
2 Stand up, judge of the earth, and pay back those who are proud what they deserve.
Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, Lord? How long will the wicked celebrate in triumph?
LORD, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?
4 How long will you let them pour out their arrogant words? How long will these evil people go on boasting?
They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers boast.
5 Lord, they crush your people; they oppress those you call your own.
They break your people in pieces, LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill widows and foreigners; they murder orphans.
They kill the widow and the alien, and 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, “The LORD will not see, neither will Jacob’s God consider.”
8 Take another look, you stupid people! Fools—when will you ever get the point?
Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?
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 implanted the ear, won’t he hear? He who formed the eye, won’t he 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, won’t he punish? He who teaches man knows.
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of human beings—he knows they are pointless.
The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.
12 Those you discipline are happy, Lord; those you teach from your Law.
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, LORD, and teach out of your law,
13 You give them peace in days of trouble, until a pit is dug to trap the wicked.
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 give up on his people; he will not abandon his own.
For the LORD won’t reject his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 Justice will once again be based on what is right; those who are sincere will support it.
For judgment will return to righteousness. All the upright in heart shall 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 for me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?
17 If the Lord hadn't helped me, I would have soon gone down into the silence of the grave.
Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in 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 loving kindness, LORD, held me up.
19 When my mind was full of worries, you comforted me and encouraged me.
In the multitude of my thoughts within me, your comforts delight my soul.
20 Can unjust judges really be on your side, Lord, when their corrupt use of the law causes misery?
Shall the throne of wickedness have fellowship with you, which brings about mischief by statute?
21 They work together to destroy good people; they condemn those who are innocent to death.
They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the Lord protects me like a fortress; my God is the rock that keeps me safe.
But the LORD has been my high tower, my God, 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 has brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. The LORD, our God, will cut them off.
