Psalms 94

How long will the wicked triumph

The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth.a ²Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. ³How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant?

⁴They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. ⁵They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance. ⁶They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.

⁷They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.” ⁸Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? ⁹Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?b

¹⁰Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? ¹¹The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile.c ¹²Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law;d ¹³you grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked.e

¹⁴For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.f ¹⁵Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. ¹⁶Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

¹⁷Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. ¹⁸When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.g ¹⁹When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.h

²⁰Can a corrupt throne be allied with you— a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? ²¹The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. ²²But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.i

²³He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.j