A Prayer For Retribution Against Oppressors

1 God of vengeance -- Jehovah! God of vengeance, shine forth.

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

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

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

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

2 Be lifted up, O Judge of the earth, Send back a recompence on the proud.

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

2 (C)Rise up, O (D)Judge of the earth,Render recompense (E)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 Till when do the wicked, O Jehovah? Till when do the wicked exult?

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

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

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 They utter -- they speak an old saw, All working iniquity do boast themselves.

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

4 They pour forth words, they (G)speak arrogantly;All who do wickedness (H)vaunt 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 Thy people, O Jehovah, they bruise, And Thine inheritance they afflict.

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

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

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

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

6 Widow and sojourner they slay, And fatherless ones they murder.

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

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

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

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

7 And they say, 'Jehovah doth not see, And the God of Jacob doth not consider.'

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

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

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 Consider, ye brutish among the people, And ye foolish, when do ye act wisely?

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

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

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 who planteth the ear doth He not hear? He who formeth the eye doth He not see?

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

9 He who (O)planted the ear, (f)does He not hear?He who formed the eye, (g)does 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 who is instructing nations, Doth He not reprove? He who is teaching man knowledge is Jehovah.

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

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

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 He knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

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

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

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 O the happiness of the man Whom Thou instructest, O Jah, And out of Thy law teachest him,

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

12 Blessed is the man whom (S)You chasten, O (j)Lord,And (T)whom You teach out of Your 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 To give rest to him from days of evil, While a pit is digged for the wicked.

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

13 That You may grant him (U)relief from the (V)days of adversity,Until (W)a pit is dug 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 Jehovah leaveth not His people, And His inheritance forsaketh not.

14 For the LORD will not cast off 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 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 For to righteousness judgment turneth back, And after it all the upright of heart,

15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright 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 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 riseth up for me with evil doers? Who stationeth himself for me with workers of iniquity?

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

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 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 Unless Jehovah were a help to me, My soul had almost inhabited silence.

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

17 If (AC)the Lord had not been my help,My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of 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 If I have said, 'My foot hath slipped,' Thy kindness, O Jehovah, supporteth me.

18 When I said, My foot slippeth; 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 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 abundance of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.

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

19 When my anxious thoughts (n)multiply within me,Your (AE)consolations 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 Is a throne of mischief joined with Thee? A framer of perverseness by statute?

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

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

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 decree against the soul of the righteous, And innocent blood declare wicked.

21 They gather themselves 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 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 And Jehovah is for a high place to me, And my God is for a rock -- my refuge,

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

22 But the Lord has been my (AJ)stronghold,And my God the (AK)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 And turneth back on them their iniquity, And in their wickedness cutteth them off; Jehovah our God doth cut them off!

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 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 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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