Psalm 10

Contemporary English Version

³ The wicked brag about
    their deepest desires.
Those greedy people hate
    and curse you, Lord.
⁴ The wicked are too proud
to turn to you
    or even think about you.
⁵ They are always successful,
though they can't understand
    your teachings,
and they keep sneering
    at their enemies.

⁶ In their hearts they say,
    “Nothing can hurt us!
We'll always be happy
    and free from trouble.”
^7 (A) They curse and tell lies,
and all they talk about
    is how to be cruel
    or how to do wrong.

⁸ They hide outside villages,
waiting to strike and murder
    some innocent victim.
⁹ They are hungry lions
    hiding in the bushes,
hoping to catch
    some helpless passerby.
They trap the poor in nets
    and drag them away.
¹⁰ They crouch down and wait
    to grab a victim.
¹¹ They say, “God can't see!
    He's got on a blindfold.”

¹² Do something, Lord God,
and use your powerful arm
    to help those in need.
¹³ The wicked don't respect you.
In their hearts they say,
    “God won't punish us!”

¹⁴ But you see the trouble
and the distress,
    and you will do something.
The poor can count on you,
    and so can orphans.
¹⁵ Now break the power
    of all merciless people.
Punish them for doing wrong
    and make them stop.

¹⁶ Our Lord, you will always rule,
but every godless nation
    will vanish from the earth.
¹⁷ You listen to the longings
    of those who suffer.
You offer them hope,
and you pay attention
    to their cries for help.
¹⁸ You defend orphans
    and everyone else in need,
so that no one on earth
    can terrify others again.