Righteousness Amid Widespread Corruption — May 14

Psalms 10-15

Psalms 10

1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord ? Why do You hide in times of trouble?365N 134.1

2 The wicked in his pride ^{[a]hotly pursues} persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.365N 134.2

3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; ^{[b]Or The greedy man curses and spurns the Lord} He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord .365N 134.3

4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; ^{[c]Or All his thoughts are, “There is no God”} God is in none of his thoughts.365N 134.4

5 His ways ^{[d]Lit. are strong} are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.365N 134.5

6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.”365N 134.6

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.365N 134.7

8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the secret places he murders the innocent; His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.365N 134.8

9 He 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.365N 134.9

10 So ^{[e]Or he is crushed, is bowed} he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his ^{[f]Or mighty ones} strength.365N 134.10

11 He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.”365N 134.11

12 Arise, O Lord ! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble.365N 134.12

13 Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account. ”365N 134.13

14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits ^{[g]Lit. leaves, entrusts} himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.365N 134.14

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.365N 134.15

16 The Lord is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land.365N 134.16

17 Lord , You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,365N 134.17

18 To ^[h]vindicate do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may ^[i]terrify oppress no more.365N 134.18

Psalms 11

1 In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?365N 134.19

2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot ^{[a]Lit. in darkness} secretly at the upright in heart.365N 134.20

3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?365N 134.21

4 The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord ’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.365N 134.22

5 The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.365N 134.23

6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be ^{[b]Their allotted portion or serving} the portion of their cup.365N 134.24

7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; ^{[c]Or The upright beholds His countenance} His countenance beholds the upright.365N 134.25

Psalms 12

1 Help, ^[b]Save Lord , for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.365N 134.26

2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and ^{[c]An inconsistent mind} a double heart they speak.365N 134.27

3 May the Lord ^[d]destroy cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks ^[e]great proud things,365N 134.28

4 Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?”365N 134.29

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the Lord ; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”365N 134.30

6 The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.365N 134.31

7 You shall keep them, O Lord , You shall preserve them from this generation forever.365N 134.32

8 The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.365N 134.33

Psalms 13

1 How long, O Lord ? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?365N 134.34

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?365N 134.35

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death;365N 134.36

4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.365N 134.37

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.365N 134.38

6 I will sing to the Lord , Because He has dealt bountifully with me.365N 134.39

Psalms 14

1 The fool has said in his heart, “ There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.365N 134.40

2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.365N 134.41

3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.365N 134.42

4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lord ?365N 134.43

5 There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous.365N 134.44

6 You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge.365N 134.45

7 Oh, ^{[a]Lit. Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?} that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back ^{[b]Or His captive people} the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.365N 134.46

Psalms 15

1 Lord , who may ^[a]sojourn abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?365N 134.47

2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;365N 134.48

3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he ^[b]receive take up a reproach against his friend;365N 134.49

4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord ; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;365N 134.50

5 He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.365N 134.51