1. Why are you so far away, O Lord?Why do you hide yourself when we are in trouble?
2. The wicked are proud and persecute the poor;catch them in the traps they have made.
3. The wicked are proud of their evil desires;the greedy curse and reject the Lord.
4. The wicked do not care about the Lord;in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.
5. The wicked succeed in everything.They cannot understand God's judgements;they sneer at their enemies.
6. They say to themselves, “I will never fail;I will never be in trouble.”
7. Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats;they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.
8. They hide themselves in the villages,waiting to murder innocent people.They spy on their helpless victims;
9. they wait in their hiding places like lions.They lie in wait for the poor;they catch them in their traps and drag them away.
10. The helpless victims lie crushed;brute strength has defeated them.
11. The wicked say to themselves, “God doesn't care!He has closed his eyes and will never see me!”
12. O Lord, punish those wicked people!Remember those who are suffering!
13. How can the wicked despise Godand say to themselves, “He will not punish me”?