1 Lord God to whom vengeance belongs, ♦
O God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out in majesty.
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; ♦
give the arrogant their just deserts.
3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, ♦
how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 How long shall the evildoers boast ♦
and pour out such impudent words?
5 They crush your people, O Lord, ♦
and afflict your heritage.
6 They murder the widow and the stranger; ♦
the orphans they put to death.
7 And yet they say, ‘The Lord will not see, ♦
neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.’
8 Consider, most stupid of people; ♦
you fools, when will you understand?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? ♦
He that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 He who corrects the nations, shall he not punish? ♦
He who teaches the peoples, does he lack knowledge?
11 The Lord knows every human thought, ♦
that they are but a breath.
12 Blessed are those whom you chasten, O Lord, ♦
whom you instruct from your law;
13 That you may give them rest in days of adversity, ♦
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not fail his people, ♦
neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 For justice shall return to the righteous, ♦
and all that are true of heart shall follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? ♦
Who will take my part against the evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not helped me, ♦
my soul would soon have been put to silence.
18 And when I said, ‘My foot has slipped’, ♦
your loving mercy, O Lord, upheld me.
19 In the multitude of cares that troubled my heart, ♦
your comforts have refreshed my soul.
20 Will you have anything to do with the throne of wickedness, ♦
which fashions evil through its law?
21 They gather together against the life of the righteous ♦
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold ♦
and my God the rock of my trust.
23 He will turn against them their own wickedness
and silence them through their own malice; ♦
the Lord our God will put them to silence.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2000 and published by Church House Publishing.
Download the Reflections on the Psalms app
