Psalms 10

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

Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? [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.

The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

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 blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth.

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

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God: ] God [is] not in all his thoughts.

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

His ways are always grievous; thy judgments [are] far above out of his sight: [as for] all his enemies, 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 hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for [I shall] never [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 fraud: under his tongue [is] mischief and vanity.

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 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 lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

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

He croucheth, [and] humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.

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

He hath said 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 LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

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

Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said 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 poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art 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 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!

The LORD [is] King for ever and ever: the heathen 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,

LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: 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 the man of the earth may no more oppress.