Psalm 10

¹ Why stand’st thou, Lord, a far? why hid’st

thyself in times of strait?

² In pride the wicked persecutes

the poor afflicted wight:

snare them in their contrived plots.

³ For of his heart’s desire

the wicked boasts, and covetous

blesseth, stirring God’s ire.

⁴ The wicked one by reason of

his countenance’s pride

will not seek after God: not God

so all his thoughts abide.

⁵ His ways do always bring forth grief,

on high thy judgments be

above his sight: his pressing foes

puff at them all will he.

⁶ Within his heart he thus hath said,

I moved shall not be:

from aye to aye because I am

not in adversity.

⁷ His mouth with cursing filled is,

deceits and fallacy:

under his tongue perverseness is,

also iniquity.

⁸ In the close places of the towns

he sits, in secret dens

he slays the harmless: ‘gainst the poor

slyly his eyes down bends.

⁹ He closely lurks as lion lurks

in den, the poor to catch

he lurks, and trapping them in’s net

th’ afflicted poor doth snatch.

¹⁰ Down doth he crouch, and to the dust

humbly he bows withal:

that so a multitude of poor

in his strong paws may fall.

¹¹ He saith in heart, God hath forgot:

he hides his face away,

so that he will not see this thing

unto eternal aye.

¹² Jehovah, rise thou up; O God,

lift thou thine hand on high,

let not the meek afflicted one

be out of memory.

¹³ Wherefore doth the ungodly man

contemn th’ almighty one?

he in his heart saith, thou wilt not

make inquisition.

¹⁴ Thou seest, for thou mark’st wrong, and spite,

with thy hand to repay:

the poor leaves it to thee, thou art

of fatherless the stay.

¹⁵ Break thou the arm of the wicked,

and of the evil one,

search thou out his impiety:

until thou findest none.

¹⁶ Jehovah king for ever is,

and to eternal aye:

out of his land the heathen folk

are perished away.

¹⁷ The meek afflicted man’s desire,

Jehovah, thou dost hear:

thou firmly dost prepare their heart,

thou mak’st attent thine ear.