• God the Refuge of the Righteous

  • 1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
  • 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud.
  • 3 Lord, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph?
  • 4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
  • 5 They break in pieces Your people, O Lord, And afflict Your heritage.
  • 6 They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless.
  • 7 Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.”
  • 8 Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise?
  • 9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
  • 10 He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge?
  • 11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.
  • 12 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, And teach out of Your law,
  • 13 That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked.
  • 14 For the Lord will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
  • 15 But judgment will return to righteousness, And all the upright in heart will follow it.
  • 16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
  • 17 Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence.
  • 18 If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
  • 19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.
  • 20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You?
  • 21 They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood.
  • 22 But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge.
  • 23 He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off.