The LORD Implored to Avenge His People.

1LORD, God of [a]vengeance,

God of [b]vengeance, [c]shine forth!

2Rise up, Judge of the earth,

Pay back retribution to the proud.

3How long, LORD, shall the wicked—

How long shall the wicked triumph?

4They pour out words, they speak arrogantly;

All who do injustice boast.

5They crush Your people, LORD,

And afflict Your inheritance.

6They kill the widow and the stranger

And murder the orphans.

7They have said, “[d]The LORD does not see,

Nor does the God of Jacob perceive.”

8Pay attention, you stupid ones among the people;

And when will you understand, foolish ones?

9He who planted the ear, [e]does He not hear?

Or He who formed the eye, [f]does He not see?

10He who [g]disciplines the nations, will He not rebuke,

He who teaches mankind knowledge?

11The LORD knows human thoughts,

[h]That they are mere breath.

12Blessed is the man whom You discipline, [i]LORD,

And whom You teach from Your Law,

13So that You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,

Until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14For the LORD will not abandon His people,

Nor will He abandon His inheritance.

15For [j]judgment [k]will again be righteous,

And all the upright in heart [l]will follow it.

16Who will stand up for me against evildoers?

Who will take his stand for me against those who do injustice?

17If the LORD had not been my help,

My soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.

18If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”

Your faithfulness, LORD, will support me.

19When my anxious thoughts [m]multiply within me,

Your comfort delights my soul.

20Can a [n]throne of destruction be allied with You,

One which devises [o]mischief by decree?

21They band themselves together against the [p]life of the righteous

And condemn [q]the innocent to death.

22But the LORD has been my refuge,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

23He has brought back their injustice upon them,

And He will [r]destroy them in their evil;

The LORD our God will [s]destroy them.