Psalms 10

1 Why, YHWH, do You stand at a distance? Do You hide in times of adversity?

Why standest thou afar off, O Jehovah? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

2 Through the pride of the wicked, Is the poor inflamed, They are caught in schemes that they devised.

In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued; Let them be taken in the devices that they have conceived.

3 Because the wicked has boasted Of the desire of his soul, And he has blessed a dishonest gainer, He has despised YHWH.

For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, And the covetous renounceth, [yea], contemneth Jehovah.

4 The wicked does not inquire according to the height of his face. “There is no God!” [are] all his schemes.

The wicked, in the pride of his countenance, [saith], He will not require [it]. All his thoughts are, There is no God.

5 His ways writhe at all times, Your judgments [are] on high before him, All his adversaries—he puffs at them.

His ways are firm at all times; Thy judgments are far above out of his sight: As for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them.

6 He has said in his heart, “I am not moved, [And am] not in calamity to generation and generation.”

He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved; To all generations I shall not be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of oaths, And deceits, and fraud: Under his tongue [is] perverseness and iniquity,

His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression: Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

8 He sits in an ambush of the villages, He slays the innocent in secret places. His eyes secretly watch for the afflicted,

He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; In the secret places doth he murder the innocent; His eyes are privily set against the helpless.

9 He lies in wait in a secret place, as a lion in a covert. He lies in wait to catch the poor, He catches the poor, drawing him into his net.

He lurketh in secret as a lion in his covert; He lieth in wait to catch the poor: He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him in his net.

10 He is bruised—he bows down, The afflicted has fallen by his mighty ones.

He croucheth, he boweth down, And the helpless fall by his strong ones.

11 He said in his heart, “God has forgotten, He has hid His face, He has never seen.”

He saith in his heart: God hath forgotten; He hideth his face, he will never see it.

12 Arise, O YHWH! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble.

Arise, O Jehovah; O God, lift up thy hand: Forget not the poor.

13 Why has the wicked despised God? He has said in his heart, “It is not required.”

Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God, And say in his heart, Thou wilt not require [it]?

14 You have seen, For You behold perverseness and anger; By giving into Your hand, The afflicted leave [it] on You, You have been a helper of the fatherless.

Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: The helpless committeth [himself] unto thee; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil, Seek out his wickedness, find none;

Break thou the arm of the wicked; And as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 YHWH [is] King for all time and forever, The nations have perished out of His land!

Jehovah is King for ever and ever: The nations are perished out of his land.

17 You have heard the desire of the humble, O YHWH. You prepare their heart; You cause Your ear to attend,

Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the meek: Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear;

18 To judge the fatherless and bruised: He adds no more to oppress—man of the earth!

To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more.