| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? | 1O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? |
| 2In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. | 2The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others. |
| 3For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. | 3For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the LORD. |
| 4In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” | 4The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. |
| 5His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. | 5Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies. |
| 6He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” | 6They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!” |
| 7His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. | 7Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues. |
| 8He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; | 8They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They are always searching for helpless victims. |
| 9he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. | 9Like lions crouched in hiding, they wait to pounce on the helpless. Like hunters they capture the helpless and drag them away in nets. |
| 10The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. | 10Their helpless victims are crushed; they fall beneath the strength of the wicked. |
| 11He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” | 11The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us! He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!” |
| 12Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. | 12Arise, O LORD! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless! |
| 13Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? | 13Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, “God will never call us to account.” |
| 14But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. | 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. |
| 15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. | 15Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! Go after them until the last one is destroyed. |
| 16The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. | 16The LORD is king forever and ever! The godless nations will vanish from the land. |
| 17O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear | 17LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. |
| 18to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. | 18You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|
    |