Dual Panel1O LORD, the God to whom vengeance belongs, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice be seen!
2Arise, O judge of the earth. Sentence the proud to the penalties they deserve.
3How long, O LORD? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
4Hear their arrogance! How these evildoers boast!
5They oppress your people, LORD, hurting those you love.
6They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans.
7"The LORD isn’t looking," they say, "and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care."
8Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on?
9Is the one who made your ears deaf? Is the one who formed your eyes blind?
10He punishes the nations––won’t he also punish you? He knows everything––doesn’t he also know what you are doing?
11The LORD knows people’s thoughts, that they are worthless!
12Happy are those whom you discipline, LORD, and those whom you teach from your law.
13You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14The LORD will not reject his people; he will not abandon his own special possession.
15Judgment will come again for the righteous, and those who are upright will have a reward.
16Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
17Unless the LORD had helped me, I would soon have died.
18I cried out, "I’m slipping!" and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.
19When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
20Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side––leaders who permit injustice by their laws?
21They attack the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
22But the LORD is my fortress; my God is a mighty rock where I can hide.
23God will make the sins of evil people fall back upon them. He will destroy them for their sins. The LORD our God will destroy them.