New Century Version NCV
English Standard Version ESV
1 The Lord is a God who punishes. God, show your greatness and punish!
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O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth, and give the proud 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 be happy? How long, Lord?
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O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They are full of proud words; those who do evil brag about what they have done.
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They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 Lord, they crush your people and make your children suffer.
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They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans.
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They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;
7 They say, "The Lord doesn't see; the God of Jacob doesn't notice."
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and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive. ”
8 You stupid ones among the people, pay attention. You fools, when will you understand?
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Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?
9 Can't the creator of ears hear? Can't the maker of eyes see?
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He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 Won't the one who corrects nations punish you? Doesn't the teacher of people know everything?
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He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—
11 The Lord knows what people think. He knows their thoughts are just a puff of wind.
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the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.
12 Lord, those you correct are happy; you teach them from your law.
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Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 You give them rest from times of trouble 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 won't leave his people nor give up his children.
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For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 Judgment will again be fair, and all who are honest will follow it.
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for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will help me fight against the wicked? Who will stand with me against those who do evil?
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Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not helped me, I would have died in a minute.
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If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 I said, "I am about to fall," but, Lord, your love kept me safe.
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When I thought, “My foot slips, ”your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 I was very worried, but you comforted me and made me happy.
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When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Crooked leaders cannot be your friends. They use the law to cause suffering.
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Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?
21 They join forces against people who do right and sentence to death the innocent.
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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 defender; my God is the rock of my protection.
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But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 God will pay them back for their sins and will destroy them for their evil. The Lord our God will 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.