1 Why, O LORD, do you stand at a distance? Why do you hide in times of distress?
2 Through the arrogance of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued; let them be caught in the plots they have devised.
3 For the wicked man boasts of his soul's craving, and the greedy one blesses himself while he scorns the LORD.
4 The wicked, with his nose held high, does not inquire; "There is no God" is the sum of his schemes.
5 His ways stand firm at all times; your judgments are high above, out of his view; all his adversaries he puffs at.
6 He says in his heart, "I will not be moved; for generation after generation I will be free from harm."
7 His mouth is filled with curses, with deceit and oppression; beneath his tongue lie trouble and iniquity.
8 He waits in ambush near the villages; in secret places he kills the innocent; his eyes spy out the helpless.
9 He lies in wait in secret like a lion in its lair; he lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor by dragging him into his net.
10 He is crushed and bows down, and the helpless fall by his mighty ones.
11 He says in his heart, "God has forgotten; he has hidden his face; he will never look."
12 Rise up, O LORD! O God, raise your hand; do not forget the humble.
13 Why has the wicked scorned God? He says in his heart, "You will not demand an account."
14 You have seen it, for you observe trouble and grief, to repay it with your hand; to you the helpless entrusts himself; you have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Shatter the arm of the wicked; and as for the evil man, search out his wickedness until you find nothing more.
16 The LORD is King forever and ever; nations have vanished from his land.
17 You have heard, O LORD, the longing of the humble; you will make their heart firm; you will turn your ear
18 to vindicate the orphan and the crushed, so that man from the earth may no longer cause terror.