Psalms 94
1 God of vengeance — Jehovah! God of vengeance, shine forth.
The Lord is a God of vengeance! God of vengeance, shine out!
2 Be lifted up, O Judge of the earth, Send back a recompence on the proud.
Stand up, judge of the earth, and pay back those who are proud what they deserve.
3 Till when [do] the wicked, O Jehovah? Till when do the wicked exult?
How long, Lord? How long will the wicked celebrate in triumph?
4 They utter — they speak an old saw, All working iniquity do boast themselves.
How long will you let them pour out their arrogant words? How long will these evil people go on boasting?
5 Thy people, O Jehovah, they bruise, And Thine inheritance they afflict.
Lord, they crush your people; they oppress those you call your own.
6 Widow and sojourner they slay, And fatherless ones they murder.
They kill widows and foreigners; they murder orphans.
7 And they say, 'Jehovah doth not see, And the God of Jacob doth not consider.'
They say, “The Lord can't see what we're doing. Israel's God doesn't pay any attention to us.”
8 Consider, ye brutish among the people, And ye foolish, when do ye act wisely?
Take another look, you stupid people! Fools—when will you ever get the point?
9 He who planteth the ear doth He not hear? He who formeth the eye doth He not see?
Do you think the creator of the ear can't hear? Do you think the maker of the eye can't see?
10 He who is instructing nations, Doth He not reprove? He who is teaching man knowledge [is] Jehovah.
Do you think that the one who punishes nations won't punish you too? Do you think that the one who teaches human beings knowledge doesn't know anything?
11 He knoweth the thoughts of man, that they [are] vanity.
The Lord knows the thoughts of human beings—he knows they are pointless.
12 O the happiness of the man Whom Thou instructest, O Jah, And out of Thy law teachest him,
Those you discipline are happy, Lord; those you teach from your Law.
13 To give rest to him from days of evil, While a pit is digged for the wicked.
You give them peace in days of trouble, until a pit is dug to trap the wicked.
14 For Jehovah leaveth not His people, And His inheritance forsaketh not.
For the Lord will not give up on his people; he will not abandon his own.
15 For to righteousness judgment turneth back, And after it all the upright of heart,
Justice will once again be based on what is right; those who are sincere will support it.
16 Who riseth up for me with evil doers? Who stationeth himself for me with workers of iniquity?
Who came to my defense against the wicked; who stood up for me against those who do evil?
17 Unless Jehovah [were] a help to me, My soul had almost inhabited silence.
If the Lord hadn't helped me, I would have soon gone down into the silence of the grave.
18 If I have said, 'My foot hath slipped,' Thy kindness, O Jehovah, supporteth me.
I shouted out, “My foot's slipping!” and your trustworthy love, Lord, kept me from falling.
19 In the abundance of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.
When my mind was full of worries, you comforted me and encouraged me.
20 Is a throne of mischief joined [with] Thee? A framer of perverseness by statute?
Can unjust judges really be on your side, Lord, when their corrupt use of the law causes misery?
21 They decree against the soul of the righteous, And innocent blood declare wicked.
They work together to destroy good people; they condemn those who are innocent to death.
22 And Jehovah is for a high place to me, And my God [is] for a rock — my refuge,
But the Lord protects me like a fortress; my God is the rock that keeps me safe.
23 And turneth back on them their iniquity, And in their wickedness cutteth them off; Jehovah our God doth cut them off!
He will turn the wickedness of evil people back upon them; he will destroy them because of their sins; the Lord our God will destroy them.
