Psalms 94

1 O God, of vengeance, Lord! O 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 Lift up thyself, O judge of the Earth! bring a recompense upon the proud.

Be thou exalted, thou that judgest the earth: render a reward to the proud.

3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord—how long shall the wicked exult?

How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners boast?

4 They sputter, they speak hard things: all the workers of wickedness boast themselves.

They will utter and speak unrighteousness; all the workers of iniquity will speak [so].

5 Thy people, O Lord! they crush, and thy heritage they afflict.

They have afflicted thy people, O Lord, and hurt thine heritage.

6 The widow and the stranger they slay, and the fatherless they murder.

They have slain the widow and fatherless, and murdered the stranger.

7 And they say, The Lord will not see, and the God of Jacob will not take notice of it.

And they said, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob understand.

8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye become intelligent!

Understand now, ye simple among the people; and ye fools, at length be wise.

9 He that hath planted the ear, shall he not hear? or he that hath 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 admonisheth nations, shall he not correct? is it not he that teacheth man knowledge!

He that chastises the heathen, shall not he punish, [even] he that teaches man knowledge?

11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are nought.

The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain.

12 Happy is the man whom thou admonisheth, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law:

Blessed is the man whomsoever thou shalt chasten, O Lord, and shalt teach him out of thy law;

13 That thou mayest grant him repose from the days of evil, until the pot be dug 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 cast off his people, and his inheritance will he not forsake.

For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance;

15 For unto righteousness will justice return; and it shall be followed by all the upright in heart.

until righteousness return to judgment, and all the upright in heart shall follow it. (Pause)

16 Who will rise up for me against evil-doers? or who will stand forward for me against the workers of wickedness?

Who will rise up for me against the transgressors? or who will stand up with me against the workers of iniquity?

17 Unless the Lord had been a help unto me, but a little would have been wanting that my soul had dwelt in the silence of death.

If the Lord had not helped me, my soul had almost sojourned in Hades.

18 When I said, My foot hath slipped: thy kindness, O Lord, sustained me.

If I said, My foot has been moved;

19 In the multitude of my [painful] thoughts within me, thy consolations delight 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 Can there be associated with thee the throne of destructive wickedness, which frameth mischief as a law?

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frames mischief by an ordinance?

21 They band themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and innocent blood do they condemn.

They will hunt for the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.

22 But the Lord is become my defence, and my God, the rock of my refuge.

But the Lord was my refuge; and my God the helper of my hope.

23 And he will bring back upon them their own injustice, and in their own wickedness will he destroy them: [yea], he will destroy them—the Lord our God.

And he will recompense to them their iniquity and their wickedness: the Lord our God shall utterly destroy them.