Psalms 94

How long will the wicked triumph

O Lord, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!a ²Arise, O Judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve. ³How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?

⁴How long will they speak with arrogance? How long will these evil people boast? ⁵They crush your people, Lord, hurting those you claim as your own. ⁶They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans.

⁷“The Lord isn’t looking,” they say, “and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.” ⁸Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on? ⁹Is he deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?b

¹⁰He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you? He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing? ¹¹The Lord knows people’s thoughts; he knows they are worthless!c ¹²Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions.d

¹³You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.e ¹⁴The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession.f ¹⁵Judgment will again be founded on justice, and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.

¹⁶Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers? ¹⁷Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. ¹⁸I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.g

¹⁹When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.h ²⁰Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice? ²¹They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

²²But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.i ²³God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them.j