A Prayer For Retribution Against Oppressors

1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself.

1 O Lord, God of (a)(A)vengeance,God of (b)vengeance, (c)(B)shine forth!

1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

1 Lord, God of vengeance—God of vengeance, appear.(A)

1 God of vengeance, LORD God of vengeance, display your splendor!

2 Arise, thou judge of the world, and reward the proud after their deserving.

2 (C)Rise up, O (D)Judge of the earth,Render recompense (E)to the proud.

2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;repay the proud what they deserve.(B)

2 Stand up, judge of the earth, and repay the proud.

3 LORD, how long shall the ungodly, how long shall the ungodly triumph?

3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,How long shall the (F)wicked exult?

3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

3 Lord, how long will the wicked—how long will the wicked gloat?(C)

3 How long will the wicked, LORD, how long will the wicked continue to triumph?

4 How long shall all wicked doers speak so disdainfully, and make such proud boasting?

4 They pour forth words, they (G)speak arrogantly;All who do wickedness (H)vaunt themselves.

4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

4 They pour out arrogant words;all the evildoers boast.(D)

4 When they speak, they spew arrogance. Everyone who practices iniquity brags about it.

5 They smite down thy people, O LORD, and trouble thine heritage.

5 They (I)crush Your people, O Lord,And (J)afflict Your heritage.

5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.

5 Lord, they crush Your people;they afflict Your heritage.(E)

5 LORD, they have crushed your people, afflicting your heritage.

6 They murder the widow and the stranger, and put the fatherless to death.

6 They (K)slay the widow and the (d)strangerAnd murder the orphans.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

6 They kill the widow and the foreignerand murder the fatherless.(F)

6 The wicked kill widows and foreigners; they murder orphans.

7 And yet they say, "Tush, the LORD seeth not, the God of Jacob regardeth it not."

7 (L)They have said, “(e)The Lord does not see,Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

7 Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

7 They say, “The Lord doesn’t see it.The God of Jacob doesn’t pay attention.”(G)

7 They say, "The LORD cannot see, and the God of Jacob will not notice."

8 Take heed, ye unwise among the people: O ye fools, when will ye understand?

8 Pay heed, you (M)senseless among the people;And when will you understand, (N)stupid ones?

8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

8 Pay attention, you stupid people!Fools, when will you be wise?(H)

8 Pay attention, you dull ones among the crowds! You fools! Will you ever become wise?

9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that made the eye, shall not he see?

9 He who (O)planted the ear, (f)does He not hear?He who formed the eye, (g)does He not see?

9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

9 Can the One who shaped the ear not hear,the One who formed the eye not see?(I)

9 The one who formed the ear can hear, can he not? The one who made the eyes can see, can he not?

10 He that nurtureth the Heathen, and teacheth a man knowledge, shall not he punish?

10 He who (h)(P)chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,Even He who (Q)teaches man knowledge?

10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

10 The One who instructs nations,the One who teaches man knowledge—does He not discipline?(J)

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

11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are but vain.

11 The Lord (R)knows the thoughts of man,(i)That they are a mere breath.

11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

11 The Lord knows man’s thoughts;they are meaningless.(K)

11 The LORD knows the thoughts of human beings that they are futile.

12 Blessed is the man, whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him in thy law,

12 Blessed is the man whom (S)You chasten, O (j)Lord,And (T)whom You teach out of Your law;

12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;

12 Lord, happy is the man You disciplineand teach from Your law(L)

12 How blessed is the man whom you instruct, LORD, whom you teach from your Law,

13 that thou mayest give him patience in time of adversity, until the pit be digged up for the ungodly.

13 That You may grant him (U)relief from the (V)days of adversity,Until (W)a pit is dug for the wicked.

13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

13 to give him relief from troubled timesuntil a pit is dug for the wicked.(M)

13 keeping him calm when times are troubled until a pit has been dug for the wicked.

14 For the LORD will not fail his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

14 For (X)the Lord will not abandon His people,Nor will He (Y)forsake His inheritance.

14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

14 The Lord will not forsake His peopleor abandon His heritage,(N)

14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage.

15 And why? Judgment shall be turned again unto righteousness, and all such as are true in heart shall follow it.

15 For (k)(Z)judgment (l)will again be righteous,And all the upright in heart (m)will follow it.

15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

15 for justice will again be righteous,and all the upright in heart will follow(a) it.(O)

15 Righteousness will be restored with justice, and all the pure of heart will follow it.

16 Who will rise up with me against the wicked? Who will take my part against the evil doers?

16 Who will (AA)stand up for me against evildoers?Who will take his stand for me (AB)against those who do wickedness?

16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

16 Who stands up for me against the wicked?Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?(P)

16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand for me against those who practice iniquity?

17 If the LORD had not helped me, my soul had almost been put to silence.

17 If (AC)the Lord had not been my help,My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.

17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

17 If the Lord had not been my helper,I would soon rest in the silence of death.(Q)

17 If the LORD had not been my helper, I would have quickly become silent.

18 When I said, "My foot hath slipped, thy mercy, O LORD, held me up."

18 If I should say, “(AD)My foot has slipped,”Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.

18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.

18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”Your faithful love will support me, Lord.(R)

18 When I say that my foot is shaking, your gracious love, LORD, will sustain me.

19 In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart, thy comforts have refreshed my soul.

19 When my anxious thoughts (n)multiply within me,Your (AE)consolations delight my soul.

19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

19 When I am filled with cares,Your comfort brings me joy.(S)

19 When my anxious inner thoughts become overwhelming, your comfort encourages me.

20 Wilt thou have anything to do with the stool of wickedness, which imagineth mischief as a law?

20 Can a (o)(AF)throne of destruction be allied with You,One (AG)which devises (p)mischief by decree?

20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

20 Can a corrupt throne—one that creates trouble by law—become Your ally?(T)

20 Will destructive national leaders, who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law, be allied with you?

21 They gather them together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

21 They (AH)band themselves together against the (q)life of the righteousAnd (AI)condemn (r)the innocent to death.

21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

21 They band together against the life of the righteousand condemn the innocent to death.(U)

21 They gather together against the righteous, condemning the innocent to death.

22 But the LORD is my refuge, my God is the strength of my confidence.

22 But the Lord has been my (AJ)stronghold,And my God the (AK)rock of my refuge.

22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

22 But the Lord is my refuge;my God is the rock of my protection.(V)

22 But the LORD is my stronghold, and my God, the rock, is my refuge.

23 He shall recompense them their wickedness, and destroy them in their own malice: yea the LORD our God shall destroy them.

23 He has (AL)brought back their wickedness upon themAnd will (s)(AM)destroy them in their evil;The Lord our God will (t)destroy them.

23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

23 He will pay them back for their sinsand destroy them for their evil.The Lord our God will destroy them.(W)

23 He will repay them for their sin; he will annihilate them because of their evil. The LORD our God will annihilate them.

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