94 <1> The Lord is a God who punishes people.
God, come punish them.
<2> You are the judge of the whole earth.
Give proud people the punishment they deserve.
<3> Lord, how long will the wicked have their fun?
How much longer?
<4> How much longer will those criminals
brag about the evil they did?
<5> Lord, they hurt your people
and make them suffer.
<6> They kill widows and foreigners living in our country.
They murder orphans.
<7> And they say the Lord does not see them
doing those evil things!
They say the God of Israel
does not know what is happening.
<8> You evil people are foolish.
When will you learn your lesson?
You are so stupid!
You must try to understand.
<9> God made our ears,
so surely he can hear what is happening!
He made our eyes,
so surely he can see what is happening!
<10> God disciplines nations,
so surely he will correct people.
He will teach them what they should do.
<11> He knows what people are thinking.
He knows that people are like a puff of wind.
<12> Whoever the Lord disciplines
will receive many blessings.
He will teach them
the right way of living.
<13> God, you will help them stay calm
when trouble comes.
You will help them stay calm
until evil people are put in their grave.
<14> The Lord will not leave his people.
He will not leave them without help.
<15> Justice will return, and it will bring fairness.
And then there will be good, honest people.
<16> No one helped me fight
against the evil people.
No one stood with me to fight
against those who do bad things.
<17> And if the Lord had not helped me,
I would have been silenced by death.
<18> I know I was ready to fall,
but the Lord's faithful love supported me.
<19> I was very worried and upset,
but you comforted me and made me happy!
<20> God, you don't help crooked judges.
They use the law to make life hard for the people.
<21> They attack good people.
They say that innocent people are guilty and kill them.
<22> But the Lord is my place of safety,
high on the mountain.
God, my Rock,[519] is my safe place!
<23> He will punish those evil judges
for the bad things they did.
He will destroy them
because they sinned.
The Lord our God will destroy them.
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.