Why standest thou so far off, O Lord, and hidest thy face
in the needful time of trouble? The ungodly for his own lust
doth persecute the poor;
let them be taken in the crafty wiliness
that they have imagined.
For the ungodly hath made boast of his own heart's desire, and speaketh good of the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.
The ungodly is so proud, that he careth not for God;
neither is God in all his thoughts.
His ways are always grievous;
thy judgements are far above out of his sight, and therefore
defieth he all his enemies.
For he hath said in his heart,
Tush, I shall never be cast down;
there shall no harm happen
unto me.
His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and fraud;
under his
tongue is ungodliness and vanity.
He sitteth lurking in the
thievish corners of the streets, and privily in his lurking dens
doth he murder the innocent;
his eyes are set against the
poor.
For he lieth waiting secretly;
even as a lion lurketh he
in his den, that he may ravish the poor.
He doth ravish the poor, when he getteth him into his net.
He falleth down, and humbleth himself, that the congregation of the poor may fall into the hands of his captains.
He hath said in his heart, Tush,
God hath forgotten;
he hideth away his face, and he will
never see it.
Arise, O Lord God, and lift up thine hand;
forget not the
poor.
Wherefore should the wicked blaspheme God, while
he doth say in his heart, Tush, thou God carest not for it?
Surely thou hast seen it;
for thou beholdest ungodliness and
wrong, that thou mayest take the matter into thy hand.
The
poor committeth himself unto thee;
for thou art the helper
of the friendless.
Break thou the power of the ungodly and
malicious;
take away his ungodliness, and thou shalt find
none.
The Lord is King for ever and ever, and the heathen are perished out of the land.
Lord, thou hast heard the desire of
the poor;
thou preparest their heart, and thine ear hearkeneth
thereto, to help the fatherless and poor unto their
right, that the man of the earth be no more exalted against
them.