| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble? | 1O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble? |
| 2The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. | 2The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor. Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others. |
| 3For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. | 3For they brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the LORD. |
| 4The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. | 4The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. |
| 5His ways are always prospering; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight; As for all his enemies, he sneers at them. | 5Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies. |
| 6He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.” | 6They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!” |
| 7His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity. | 7Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues. |
| 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. | 8They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They are always searching for helpless 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 lions crouched in hiding, they wait to pounce on the helpless. Like hunters they capture the helpless and drag them away in nets. |
| 10So he crouches, he lies low, That the helpless may fall by his strength. | 10Their helpless victims are crushed; they fall beneath the strength of the wicked. |
| 11He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see.” | 11The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us! He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!” |
| 12Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. | 12Arise, O LORD! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless! |
| 13Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.” | 13Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, “God will never call us 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 see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans. |
| 15Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none. | 15Break the arms of these wicked, evil people! Go after them until the last one is destroyed. |
| 16The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land. | 16The LORD is king forever and ever! The godless nations will vanish from the land. |
| 17LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, | 17LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. |
| 18To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more. | 18You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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