New King James Version

English Standard Version

God the Refuge of the Righteous

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs —
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!

1

The Lord Will Not Forsake His People

O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!

2

Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
[a]Render punishment to the proud.

2

Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!

3

Lord, how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?

3

O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?

4

They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.

4

They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.

5

They break in pieces Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.

5

They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.

6

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

6

They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless;

7

Yet they say, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob [b]understand.”

7

and they say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8

Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?

8

Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?

9

He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

9

He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10

He who [c]instructs the [d]nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?

10

He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge —

11

The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.

11

the Lord — knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.a

12

Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord,
And teach out of Your law,

12

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,

13

That You may give him [e]rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit is dug for the wicked.

13

to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14

For the Lord will not [f]cast off His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

14

For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;

15

But judgment will return to righteousness,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.

15

for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16

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

16

Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?

17

Unless the Lord had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.

17

If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.

18

If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.

18

When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

19

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.

19

When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.

20

Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
Have fellowship with You?

20

Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frameb injustice by statute?

21

They gather together against the life of the righteous,
And condemn innocent blood.

21

They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.c

22

But the Lord has been my defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.

22

But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.

23

He has brought on them their own iniquity,
And shall [g]cut them off in their own wickedness;
The Lord our God shall cut them off.

23

He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Parallel

New King James Version

English Standard Version

Psalms 94

Psalms 94