| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! | 1 LORD, God of vengeance-- God of vengeance, appear. |
| 2Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud. | 2Rise up, Judge of the earth; repay the proud what they deserve. |
| 3LORD, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph? | 3 LORD, how long will the wicked-- how long will the wicked gloat? |
| 4They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. | 4They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. |
| 5They break in pieces Your people, O LORD, And afflict Your heritage. | 5 LORD, they crush Your people; they afflict Your heritage. |
| 6They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless. | 6They kill the widow and the foreigner and murder the fatherless. |
| 7Yet they say, “The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.” | 7They say, "The LORD doesn't see it. The God of Jacob doesn't pay attention." |
| 8Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise? | 8Pay attention, you stupid people! Fools, when will you be wise? |
| 9He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? | 9Can the One who shaped the ear not hear, the One who formed the eye not see? |
| 10He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? | 10The One who instructs nations, the One who teaches man knowledge-- does He not discipline? |
| 11The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile. | 11The LORD knows man's thoughts; they are meaningless. |
| 12Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD, And teach out of Your law, | 12 LORD, happy is the man You discipline and teach from Your law |
| 13That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked. | 13to give him relief from troubled times until a pit is dug for the wicked. |
| 14For the LORD will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. | 14The LORD will not forsake His people or abandon His heritage, |
| 15But judgment will return to righteousness, And all the upright in heart will follow it. | 15for justice will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. |
| 16Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? | 16Who stands up for me against the wicked? Who takes a stand for me against evildoers? |
| 17Unless the LORD had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence. | 17If the LORD had not been my helper, I would soon rest in the silence of death. |
| 18If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up. | 18If I say, "My foot is slipping," Your faithful love will support me, LORD. |
| 19In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. | 19When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy. |
| 20Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You? | 20Can a corrupt throne-- one that creates trouble by law-- become Your ally? |
| 21They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood. | 21They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. |
| 22But the LORD has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. | 22But the LORD is my refuge; my God is the rock of my protection. |
| 23He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The LORD our God shall cut them off. | 23He will pay them back for their sins and destroy them for their evil. The LORD our God will destroy them. |
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