Why Do You Hide Yourself?
Why, O Lord, do you stand afar away?
Why bdo you hide yourself in ctimes of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them abe caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked aboasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain bcurses and crenounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not aseek him;
all his thoughts are, b“There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, aout of his sight;
as for all his foes, he bpuffs at them.
6 He asays in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I bshall not meet adversity.”
7 aHis mouth is filled with cursing and bdeceit and coppression;
dunder his tongue are emischief and finiquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
in ahiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 he lurks in ambush like aa lion in his bthicket;
he clurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his dnet.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has ahidden his face, he bwill never see it.”
12 aArise, O Lord; O God, blift up your hand;
cforget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked arenounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not bcall to account”?
14 But you do see, for you anote mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless bcommits himself;
you have been cthe helper of the fatherless.
15 aBreak the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
bcall his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 aThe Lord is king forever and ever;
the bnations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will astrengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to ado justice to the fatherless and bthe oppressed,
so that cman who is of the earth may strike terror no more.