God Avenges His Own

1God of vengeance,

LORD God of vengeance,

display your splendor!a

2Stand up, judge of the earth,

and repay the proud.

3How long will the wicked, LORD,

how long will the wicked continue to triumph?

4When they speak, they spew arrogance.

Everyone who practices iniquity brags about it.b

5LORD, they have crushed your people,

afflicting your heritage.

6The wickedc kill widows and foreigners;

they murder orphans.

7They say, “The LORD cannot see,

and the God of Jacob will not notice.”

8Pay attention, you dull ones among the crowds!

You fools! Will you ever become wise?

9The one who formedd the ear can hear, can he not?

The one who made the eyes can see, can he not?

10The one who disciplines nations can rebuke them, can he not?

The one who teaches mankind can discern, can he not?

11The LORD knows the thoughts of human beings—

that they are futile.

12How blessed is the man whom you instruct, LORD,

whom you teach from your Law,

13keeping him calm when times are troubled

until a pit has been dug for the wicked.

14For the LORD will not forsake his people;

he will not abandon his heritage.

15Righteousness will be restored with justice,

and all the pure of heart will follow it.

16Who will rise up for me against the wicked?

Who will stand for me against those who practice iniquity?

17If the LORD had not been my helper,

I would have quickly become silent.

18When I say that my foot is shaking,

your gracious love, LORD, will sustain me.

19When my anxious inner thoughts become overwhelming,

your comfort encourages me.

20Will destructive national leaders,e

who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law,

be allied with you?

21They gather together against the righteous,

condemning the innocent to death.

22But the LORD is my stronghold,

and my God, the rock, is my refuge.

23He will repay them for their sin;

he will annihilate them because of their evil.

The LORD our God will annihilate them.