| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? | 1Why, O LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide in times of trouble? |
| 2The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others. | 2In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise. |
| 3For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the LORD. | 3For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. |
| 4The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. | 4In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God. |
| 5Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies. | 5He is secure in his ways at all times; Your lofty judgments are far from him; he sneers at all his foes. |
| 6They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!” | 6He says to himself, “I will not be moved; from age to age I am free of distress.” |
| 7Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues. | 7His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and violence; trouble and malice are under his tongue. |
| 8They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They are always searching for helpless victims. | 8He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless. |
| 9Like lions crouched in hiding, they wait to pounce on the helpless. Like hunters they capture the helpless and drag them away in nets. | 9He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket; he lurks to seize the oppressed; he catches the lowly in his net. |
| 10Their helpless victims are crushed; they fall beneath the strength of the wicked. | 10They are crushed and beaten down; the hapless fall prey to his strength. |
| 11The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us! He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!” | 11He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.” |
| 12Arise, O LORD! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless! | 12Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God! Do not forget the helpless. |
| 13Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, “God will never call us to account.” | 13Why has the wicked man renounced God? He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.” |
| 14But you see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans. | 14But You have regarded trouble and grief; You see to repay it by Your hand. The victim entrusts himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. |
| 15Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! Go after them until the last one is destroyed. | 15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is left to be found. |
| 16The LORD is king forever and ever! The godless nations will vanish from the land. | 16The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations perish from His land. |
| 17LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. | 17You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear, |
| 18You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them. | 18to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed, that the men of the earth may strike terror no more. |
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