New International Version NIV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
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God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
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Full of hot air, the wicked are hot on the trail of the poor. Trip them up, tangle them up in their fine-tuned plots.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
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The wicked are windbags, the swindlers have foul breath.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
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The wicked snub God, their noses stuck high in the air. Their graffiti are scrawled on the walls: "Catch us if you can!" "God is dead."
5 His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies.
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They care nothing for what you think; if you get in their way, they blow you off.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
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They live (they think) a charmed life: "We can't go wrong. This is our lucky year!"
7 His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.
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They carry a mouthful of hexes, their tongues spit venom like adders.
8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
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They hide behind ordinary people, then pounce on their victims.
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
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They mark the luckless, then wait like a hunter in a blind; When the poor wretch wanders too close, they stab him in the back.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.
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The hapless fool is kicked to the ground, the unlucky victim is brutally axed.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.”
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He thinks God has dumped him, he's sure that God is indifferent to his plight.
12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
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Time to get up, God - get moving. The luckless think they're Godforsaken.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?
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They wonder why the wicked scorn God and get away with it, Why the wicked are so cocksure they'll never come up for audit.
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
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But you know all about it - the contempt, the abuse. I dare to believe that the luckless will get lucky someday in you. You won't let them down: orphans won't be orphans forever.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.
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Break the wicked right arms, break all the evil left arms. Search and destroy every sign of crime.
16 The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
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God's grace and order wins; godlessness loses.
17 You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
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The victim's faint pulse picks up; the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood as you put your ear to their lips.
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.
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Orphans get parents, the homeless get homes. The reign of terror is over, the rule of the gang lords is ended.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.