PSALM 9b (10)

Why, O Lord,
do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself
in times of trouble?
While the impious are arrogant,
the poor man is set on fire;
let them be caught in
the schemes
that they devise.

For the sinner glories
in his lust,
and the greedy,
congratulating himself,
blasphemes the Lord.
The impious says,
in prideful mind,
"He will not judge,
there is no God."

His ways prosper
at all times,
your judgments
are far from his mind.
He scorns all
who oppose him.
In his heart he says,
"I will not be moved.
I will not be unhappy
through all the generations."
His mouth is full of
curses, fraud, and deceit,
under his tongue are
grief and injustice.

He sits in ambush with the rich,
in secret places
to murder the innocent;
his eyes spy out the pauper.
He lurks in secret
like a lion in his cave.
He lurks that he may
seize the poor,
that he may seize the poor
by dragging them into
into his net.

He stoops, he crouches,
and the poor fall
to his violence.
He says in his heart,
"God has forgotten,
he turns away his face,
and sees nothing."
Rise up, O Lord God,
lift up your hand,
do not forget
the needy.

Why has the wicked man
scorned God?
He says in his heart,
"He will not pass judgment."
But you do see.,
you take note of strife
and fury to take them
in hand.
The poor have entrusted
themselves to you,
you are the helper
of the orphan!

Crush the power of the sinner
and the wicked:
you will call their evil
to account, so that
when you seek it,
you will find it no more.

The Lord is king forever and ever,
the nations will perish
from his land.
You have heard the wish
of the needy, O Lord,
you have strengthened their
heart and inclined your ear,
to do justice for the orphan
and the oppressed,
so that earthly man
may tyrannize no more.

Translation © 2015 by Donald C. Traxler