³ For the wicked celebrates the evil cravings of his heart
    as the greedy curses and rejects the Eternal.
⁴ The arrogance of the wicked one keeps him from seeking the True God.
    He truly thinks, “There is no God.”

⁵ His ways seem always to be successful;
    Your judgments, too, seem far beyond him, out of his reach.
    He looks down on all his enemies.
⁶ In his heart he has decided, “Nothing will faze me.
    From generation to generation I will not face trouble.”

⁷ His mouth is full of curses, lies, and oppression.^[b]
    Beneath his tongue lie trouble and wickedness.
⁸ He hides in the shadows of the villages,
    waiting to ambush and kill the innocent in dark corners.
He eyes the weak and the poor.

⁹ Ominously, like a lion in its lair,
    he lurks in secret to waylay those who are downtrodden.
When he catches them, he draws them in and drags them off with his net.

¹⁰ Quietly crouching, lying low,
    ready to overwhelm the next by his strength,
¹¹ The wicked thinks in his heart, “God has forgotten us!
    He has covered His face and will never notice!”

¹² Arise, O Eternal, my True God. Lift up Your hand.
    Do not forget the downtrodden.
¹³ Why does the wicked revile the True God?
    He has decided, “He will not hold me responsible.”

¹⁴ But wait! You have seen,
    and You will consider the trouble and grief he caused.
    You will impose consequences for his actions.
The helpless, the orphans, commit themselves to You,
    and You have been their Helper.

¹⁵ Break the arm of the one guilty of doing evil;
    investigate all his wicked acts;
    hold him responsible for every last one of them.
¹⁶ The Eternal will reign as King forever.
    The other nations will be swept off His land.

¹⁷ O Eternal One, You have heard the longings of the poor and lowly.
    You will strengthen them; You who are of heaven will hear them,
¹⁸ Vindicating the orphan and the oppressed
    so that men who are of the earth will terrify them no more.

¹ I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal,
    so why do you beckon me to leave, saying,
    “Fly like a bird to the mountains.
² Look! The wicked approach with bows bent,
    sneaking around in the shadows,
    setting their arrows against their bowstrings to pierce everyone whose heart is pure.
³ If the foundations are crumbling,
    is there hope for the righteous?”

⁴ But the Eternal has not moved; He remains in His holy temple.
    He sits squarely on His heavenly throne.
    He observes the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, examining us within and without,
    exploring every fiber of our beings.
⁵ The Eternal searches the hearts of those who are good,
    but He despises all those who can’t get enough of perversion and violence.
⁶ If you are evil, He will rain hot lava over your head,
    will fill your cup with burning wind and liquid fire to scorch your insides.

⁷ The Eternal is right in all His ways;
    He cherishes all that is upright.
Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face.