Common English Bible CEB
English Standard Version ESV
1 LORD, avenging God— avenging God, show yourself!
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O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, judge of the earth! Pay back the arrogant exactly what they deserve!
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Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!
3 How long will the wicked—oh, LORD!— how long will the wicked win?
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O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They spew arrogant words; all the evildoers are bragging.
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They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your own people, LORD! They abuse your very own possession.
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They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill widows and immigrants; they murder orphans,
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They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;
7 saying all the while, "The LORD can't see it; Jacob's God doesn't know what's going on!"
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and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive. ”
8 You ignorant people better learn quickly. You fools—when will you get some sense?
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Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?
9 The one who made the ear, can't he hear? The one who formed the eye, can't he see?
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He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 The one who disciplines nations, can't he punish? The one who teaches humans, doesn't he know?
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He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—
11 The LORD does indeed know human thoughts, knows that they are nothing but a puff of air.
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the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.
12 The people you discipline, LORD, are truly happy— the ones you teach from your Instruction—
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Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them relief from troubling times until a pit is dug for the wicked.
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to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 The LORD will not reject his people; he will not abandon his very own possession.
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For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 No, but justice will once again meet up with righteousness, and all whose heart is right will follow after.
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for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will stand up for me against the wicked? Who will help me against evildoers?
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Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD hadn't helped me, I would live instantly in total silence.
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If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 Whenever I feel my foot slipping, your faithful love steadies me, LORD.
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When I thought, “My foot slips, ”your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When my anxieties multiply, your comforting calms me down.
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When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can a wicked ruler be your ally; one who wreaks havoc by means of the law?
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Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?
21 The wicked gang up against the lives of the righteous. They condemn innocent blood.
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They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD is my fortress; my God is my rock of refuge.
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But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their wickedness, completely destroy them because of their evil. Yes, the LORD our God will completely destroy them.
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He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025