Psalms 94
1 God of vengeance—YHWH! God of vengeance, shine forth.
A Psalm of David himself. The Fourth Sabbath. The Lord is the God of retribution. The God of retribution acts in order to deliver.
2 Be lifted up, judging the earth, Send back a repayment on the proud.
Lift yourself up, for you judge the earth. Repay the arrogant with retribution.
3 Until when do the wicked, O YHWH—Until when do the wicked exult?
How long will sinners, O Lord, how long will sinners glory?
4 They utter—they speak arrogance, All working iniquity boast [about] themselves.
How long will they utter and speak iniquity? How long will all who work injustice speak out?
5 Your people, O YHWH, they bruise, And they afflict Your inheritance.
They have humiliated your people, O Lord, and they have harassed your inheritance.
6 They slay widow and sojourner, And they murder fatherless ones.
They have executed the widow and the new arrival, and they have slaughtered the orphan.
7 And they say, “YAH does not see, And the God of Jacob does not consider.”
And they have said, “The Lord will not see, nor will the God of Jacob understand.”
8 Consider, you brutish among the people, And you foolish, when do you act wisely?
Understand, you senseless ones among the people. And be wise at last, you foolish ones.
9 He who plants the ear, does He not hear? He who forms the eye, does He not see?
He who formed the ear, will he not hear? And he who forged the eye, does he not look closely?
10 He who is instructing nations, does He not reprove? He who is teaching man knowledge [is] YHWH.
He who chastises nations, he who teaches man knowledge, will he not rebuke?
11 He knows the thoughts of man, that they [are] vanity.
The Lord knows the thoughts of men: that these are in vain.
12 O the blessedness of the man Whom You instruct, O YAH, And teach him out of Your law,
Blessed is the man whom you will instruct, O Lord. And you will teach him from your law.
13 To give rest to him from days of evil, While a pit is dug for the wicked.
So may you soothe him from the evil days, until a pit may be dug for sinners.
14 For YHWH does not leave His people, And does not forsake His inheritance.
For the Lord will not drive away his people, and he will not abandon his inheritance,
15 For judgment turns back to righteousness, And after it all the upright of heart.
even until the time when justice is being converted into judgment, and when those who are close to justice are all those who are upright of heart.
16 Who rises up for me with evildoers? Who stations himself for me with workers of iniquity?
Who will rise up with me against the malignant? Or who will stand with me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless YHWH [were] a help to me, My soul had almost inhabited silence.
Except that the Lord assisted me, my soul almost would have dwelt in Hell. (questioned)
18 If I have said, “My foot has slipped,” Your kindness, O YHWH, supports me.
If ever I said, “My foot is slipping,” then your mercy, O Lord, assisted me.
19 In the abundance of my thoughts within me, Your comforts delight my soul.
According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your consolations have given joy to my soul.
20 Is a throne of mischief joined [with] You? A framer of perverseness by statute?
Does the seat of iniquity adhere to you, you who contrive hardship within a commandment?
21 They decree against the soul of the righteous, And declare innocent blood wicked.
They will hunt down the soul of the just, and they will condemn innocent blood.
22 And YHWH is for a high place to me, And my God [is] for a rock—my refuge,
And the Lord has been made into a refuge for me, and my God into the assistance of my hope.
23 And He turns back their iniquity on them, And in their wickedness cuts them off; Our God YHWH cuts them off!
And he will repay them their iniquity, and he will destroy them in their malice. The Lord our God will utterly destroy them.
