Psalms 10

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

Psalm 10 begins with the psalmist questioning why the LORD stands far off during times of trouble while the proud wicked person pursues and oppresses the needy. The wicked man boasts of his heart's desires, curses the LORD, and believes that God will never see or call him to account. Operating with deceit, violence, and malice, he lies in wait near villages like a lion to ambush and crush the innocent and helpless. In response, the psalmist calls upon the LORD to arise, lift His hand, and not forget the afflicted, noting that God observes trouble and grief to repay it. The text concludes by affirming that the LORD is King forever, hears the desires of the humble, strengthens their hearts, and acts to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹Why, O LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide in times of trouble? ²In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise. ³For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. ⁴In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God. ⁵He is secure in his ways at all times; Your lofty judgments are far from him; he sneers at all his foes. ⁶He says to himself, “I will not be moved; from age to age I am free of distress.” ⁷His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and violence; trouble and malice are under his tongue. ⁸He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless. ⁹He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket; he lurks to seize the oppressed; he catches the lowly in his net. ¹⁰They are crushed and beaten down; the helpless fall prey to his strength. ¹¹He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.” ¹²Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God! Do not forget the helpless. ¹³Why has the wicked man renounced God? He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.” ¹⁴But You have regarded trouble and grief; You see to repay it by Your hand. The victim entrusts himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. ¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is left to be found. ¹⁶The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations perish from His land. ¹⁷You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear, ¹⁸to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed, that the men of the earth may strike terror no more.

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Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.