| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble? | 1Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? |
| 2The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. | 2In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. |
| 3For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. | 3He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. |
| 4The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. | 4In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. |
| 5His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. | 5His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. |
| 6He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.” | 6He says to himself, "Nothing will ever shake me." He swears, "No one will ever do me harm." |
| 7His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. | 7His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. |
| 8He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless. | 8He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; |
| 9He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; He lies in wait to catch the poor; He catches the poor when he draws him into his net. | 9like 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. |
| 10So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. | 10His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. |
| 11He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.” | 11He says to himself, "God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees." |
| 12Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. | 12Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. |
| 13Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.” | 13Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"? |
| 14But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. | 14But 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. |
| 15Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none. | 15Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. |
| 16The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land. | 16The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. |
| 17LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, | 17You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, |
| 18To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more. | 18defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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