< Psalms 94 >
1 O LORD, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth.
O God, in whose hands is punishment, O God of punishment, let your shining face be seen.
2 Lift up Thyself, Thou Judge of the earth; render to the proud their recompense.
Be lifted up, O judge of the earth; let their reward come to the men of pride.
3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
How long will sinners, O Lord, how long will sinners have joy over us?
4 They gush out, they speak arrogancy; all the workers of iniquity bear themselves loftily.
Words of pride come from their lips; all the workers of evil say great things of themselves.
5 They crush Thy people, O LORD, and afflict Thy heritage.
Your people are crushed by them, O Lord, your heritage is troubled,
6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
They put to death the widow and the guest, they take the lives of children who have no father;
7 And they say: 'The LORD will not see, neither will the God of Jacob give heed.'
And they say, Jah will not see it, the God of Jacob will not give thought to it.
8 Consider, ye brutish among the people; and ye fools, when will ye understand?
Give your mind to my words, you who are without wisdom among the people; you foolish men, when will you be wise?
9 He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see?
Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed?
10 He that instructeth nations, shall not He correct? even He that teacheth man knowledge?
He who is the judge of the nations, will he not give men the reward of their acts, even he who gives knowledge to man?
11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
The Lord has knowledge of the thoughts of man, for they are only a breath.
12 Happy is the man whom Thou instructest, O LORD, and teachest out of Thy law;
Happy is the man who is guided by you, O Jah, and to whom you give teaching out of your law;
13 That Thou mayest give him rest from the days of evil, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
So that you may give him rest from the days of evil, till a hole is made ready for the destruction of the sinners.
14 For the LORD will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance.
The Lord will not give up his people, or take away his support from his heritage;
15 For right shall return unto justice, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
But decisions will again be made in righteousness; and they will be kept by all whose hearts are true.
16 Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Who will give me help against the sinners? and who will be my support against the workers of evil?
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had soon dwelt in silence.
If the Lord had not been my helper, my soul would quickly have gone down into death.
18 If I say: 'My foot slippeth', Thy mercy, O LORD, holdeth me up.
If I say, My foot is slipping; your mercy, O Lord, is my support.
19 When my cares are many within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.
Among all my troubled thoughts, your comforts are the delight of my soul.
20 Shall the seat of wickedness have fellowship with Thee, which frameth mischief by statute?
What part with you has the seat of sin, which makes evil into a law?
21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.
They are banded together against the soul of the upright, to give decisions against those who have done no wrong.
22 But the LORD hath been my high tower, and my God the rock of my refuge.
But the Lord is my safe resting-place; my God is the Rock where I am safe.
23 And He hath brought upon them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own evil; the LORD our God will cut them off.
And he has made their evil designs come back on themselves, cutting them off in their sin; the Lord our God will put an end to them.