The LORD Implored to Avenge His People.

1O LORD God, You to whom vengeance belongs,

O God, You to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth [in judgment]!

2Rise up, O Judge of the earth;

Give to the proud a fitting compensation.

3O LORD, how long will the wicked,

How long will the wicked rejoice in triumph?

4They pour out words, speaking arrogant things;

All who do evil boast proudly.

5They crush Your people, O LORD,

And afflict and abuse Your heritage.

6[a]They kill the widow and the alien

And murder the fatherless.

7Yet they say, “The LORD does not see,

Nor does the God of Jacob (Israel) notice it.”

8Consider thoughtfully, you senseless (stupid ones) among the people;

And you [dull-minded] fools, when will you become wise and understand?

9He who made the ear, does He not hear?

He who formed the eye, does He not see?

10He who instructs the nations,

Does He not rebuke and punish,

He who teaches man knowledge?

11The LORD knows the thoughts of man,

That they are a mere breath (vain, empty, futile).

12Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O LORD,

And whom You teach from Your law,

13That You may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity,

Until the pit is dug for the wicked and ungodly.

14For the LORD will not abandon His people,

Nor will He abandon His inheritance.

15For judgment will again be righteous,

And all the upright in heart will follow it.

16Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?

Who will take a stand for me against those who do wickedness?

17If the LORD had not been my help,

I would soon have dwelt in [the land of] silence.

18If I say, “My foot has slipped,”

Your compassion and lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.

19When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,

Your comforts delight me.

20Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,

One which frames and devises mischief by decree [under the sacred name of law]?

21They band themselves together against the life of the righteous

And condemn the innocent to death.

22But the LORD has become my high tower and defense,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

23He has turned back their own wickedness upon them

And will destroy them by means of their own evil;

The LORD our God will wipe them out.

[a] 6 Widows, resident aliens, and the fatherless were particularly vulnerable members of ancient society, since they often had little or no economic means. The wicked could easily take advantage of them. God in several Old Testament passages commanded Israel to care especially for these helpless members of society. See, for example, Deut 24:17-22; Ps 146:9; Is 1:17; Zech 7:9, 10.