| King James Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? | 1LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of trouble? |
| 2The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. | 2In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue their victims; let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. |
| 3For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. | 3For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings; the one who is greedy curses and despises the LORD. |
| 4The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. | 4In all his scheming, the wicked person arrogantly thinks, "There's no accountability, since there's no God." |
| 5His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. | 5His ways are always secure; your lofty judgments have no effect on him; he scoffs at all his adversaries. |
| 6He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. | 6He says to himself, "I will never be moved--from generation to generation without calamity." |
| 7His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. | 7Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; trouble and malice are under his tongue. |
| 8He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor. | 8He waits in ambush near settlements; he kills the innocent in secret places. His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless; |
| 9He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. | 9he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket. He lurks in order to seize a victim; he seizes a victim and drags him in his net. |
| 10He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. | 10So he is oppressed and beaten down; helpless people fall because of the wicked one's strength. |
| 11He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it. | 11He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he hides his face and will never see." |
| 12Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. | 12Rise up, LORD God! Lift up your hand. Do not forget the oppressed. |
| 13Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. | 13Why has the wicked person despised God? He says to himself, "You will not demand an account." |
| 14Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. | 14But you yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into your hands. The helpless one entrusts himself to you; you are a helper of the fatherless. |
| 15Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. | 15Break the arm of the wicked, evil person, until you look for his wickedness, but it can't be found. |
| 16The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. | 16The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. |
| 17LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: | 17LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully, |
| 18To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. | 18doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed so that mere humans from the earth may terrify them no more. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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