Psalms 10

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

Why do you keep far away, O Lord? why are you not to be seen in times of trouble?

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

The evil-doer in his pride is cruel to the poor; let him be taken by the tricks of his invention.

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 evil-doer is lifted up because of the purpose of his heart, and he whose mind is fixed on wealth is turned away from the Lord, saying evil against him.

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

The evil-doer in his pride says, God will not make a search. 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 ever fixed; your decisions are higher than he may see: as for his haters, they are as nothing to him.

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

He has said in his heart, I will not be moved: through all generations I will never be in trouble.

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 false words: under his tongue are evil purposes and dark thoughts.

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

He is waiting in the dark places of the towns: in the secret places he puts to death those who have done no wrong: his eyes are secretly turned against the poor.

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 keeps himself in a secret place like a lion in his hole, waiting to put his hands on the poor man, and pulling him into his net.

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

The upright are crushed and made low, and the feeble are overcome by his strong ones.

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

He says in his heart, God has no memory of me: his face is turned away; he will never see it.

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

Up! O Lord; let your hand be lifted: give thought to the poor.

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

Why has the evil-doer a low opinion of God, saying in his heart, You will not make search for 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.

You have seen it; for your eyes are on sorrow and grief, to take it into your hand: the poor man puts his faith in you; you have been the helper of the child who has no father.

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

Let the arm of the sinner and the evil-doer be broken; go on searching for his sin till there is no more.

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

The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations are gone from his land.

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

Lord, you have given ear to the prayer of the poor: you will make strong their hearts, you will give them a hearing:

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

To give decision for the child without a father and for the broken-hearted, so that the man of the earth may no longer be feared.