< Psalms 94 >
1 O LORD! thou God of vengeance! O thou God of vengeance! shine forth!
A Psalm of David for the fourth [day] of the week. The Lord is a God of vengeance; the God of vengeance has declared himself.
2 Rouse thyself, thou judge of the earth! Render a recompense to the proud!
Be thou exalted, thou that judgest the earth: render a reward to the proud.
3 How long, O LORD! shall the wicked, How long shall the wicked triumph?
How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners boast?
4 How long shall their lips pour forth insolence? How long shall all the evil-doers boast?
They will utter and speak unrighteousness; all the workers of iniquity will speak [so].
5 O LORD! they trample upon thy people, And oppress thine inheritance!
They have afflicted thy people, O Lord, and hurt thine heritage.
6 They slay the widow, and the stranger, And murder the fatherless;
They have slain the widow and fatherless, and murdered the stranger.
7 And they say, “The LORD doth not see, The God of Jacob doth not regard!”
And they said, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob understand.
8 Be instructed, ye most stupid of mankind! O when, ye fools, will ye be wise?
Understand now, ye simple among the people; and ye fools, at length be wise.
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see?
He that planted the ear, does he not hear? or he that formed the eye, does not he perceive?
10 He that chastiseth nations, shall not he punish? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
He that chastises the heathen, shall not he punish, [even] he that teaches man knowledge?
11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of men, That they are vanity.
The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain.
12 Happy the man, O LORD! whom thou correctest, Whom by thy teaching thou makest wise;
Blessed is the man whomsoever thou shalt chasten, O Lord, and shalt teach him out of thy law;
13 To give him peace in the days of adversity, Until a pit be digged for the wicked!
to give him rest from evil days, until a pit be digged for the sinful one.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people, Nor abandon his own inheritance.
For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance;
15 For judgment shall return to justice, And all the upright in heart shall follow it.
until righteousness return to judgment, and all the upright in heart shall follow it. (Pause)
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against the evil-doers?
Who will rise up for me against the transgressors? or who will stand up with me against the workers of iniquity?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, I had well nigh dwelt in the land of silence.
If the Lord had not helped me, my soul had almost sojourned in Hades.
18 When I think that my foot is slipping, Thy goodness, O LORD! holdeth me up.
If I said, My foot has been moved;
19 In the multitude of anxieties within me, Thy consolations revive my soul.
thy mercy, O Lord, helped me. O Lord, according to the multitude of my griefs within my heart, thy consolation have soothed my soul.
20 Shall with thee be allied the throne of iniquity, Which deviseth mischief against law?
Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frames mischief by an ordinance?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood.
They will hunt for the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.
22 But the LORD is my fortress, And my God the rock of my refuge.
But the Lord was my refuge; and my God the helper of my hope.
23 He will bring upon them their own iniquity; Yea, through their own wickedness he will cut them off; Yea, the LORD, our God, will cut them off.
And he will recompense to them their iniquity and their wickedness: the Lord our God shall utterly destroy them.