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A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.

¹ Why ^(C1)do You stand far away, O LORD?
Why ^(C2)do You hide Yourself, veiling Your eyes in times of trouble?

² In ^(C1)pride and arrogance the wicked hotly pursue and persecute the afflicted;
Let them be ^(C2)caught in the plots which they have devised.

³ For the wicked ^(C1)boasts and sings the praises of his ^(C2)heart's desire,
And the greedy man curses and ^(C3)spurns and even despises the LORD.

⁴ The wicked, in the haughtiness of his face, ^(C1)will not seek nor inquire for Him;
All his thoughts are, "^(C2)There is no God so there is no accountability or punishment."

⁵ His ways ^(C1)prosper at all times;
Your judgments LORD are on high, ^(C2)out of his sight so he never thinks about them;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

⁶ He says to himself, "^(C1)I will not be moved;
For throughout all generations ^(C2)I will not be in adversity for nothing bad will happen to me."

⁷ His ^(C1)mouth is full of curses and deceit (fraud) and ^(C2)oppression;
^(C3)Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness injustice and sin.

⁸ He lurks in ^(C1)ambush in the villages;
In hiding places he ^(C2)kills the innocent;
He lies in wait for the ^(C3)unfortunate the unhappy, the poor, the helpless.

⁹ He lurks in a hiding place like ^(C1)a lion in his lair;
He ^(C2)lies in wait to catch ^(C3)the afflicted;
He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his ^(C4)net.

¹⁰ He crushes his prey and crouches;
And the unfortunate fall by his mighty claws.

¹¹ He ^(C1)says to himself, "God has quite forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see my deed."

¹² Arise, O LORD! O God, ^(C1)lift up Your hand in judgment;
^(C2)Do not forget the suffering.

¹³ Why has the wicked ^(C1)spurned and shown disrespect to God?
He has said to himself, "You will not require me to account."

¹⁴ You have seen it, for You have noted ^(C1)mischief and vexation (irritation) to take it into Your hand.
The ^(C2)unfortunate commits himself to You;
You are the ^(C3)helper of the fatherless.

^15 (C1)Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
^(C2)Seek out his wickedness until You find no more.

¹⁶ The LORD is ^(C1)King forever and ever;
The ^(C2)nations will perish from His land.

¹⁷ O LORD, You have heard the ^(C1)desire of the humble and oppressed;
You will ^(C2)strengthen their heart, ^(C3)You will incline Your ear to hear,

¹⁸ To vindicate and obtain justice for the ^(C1)fatherless and the ^(C2)oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer ^(C3)terrify them.