לָמָה ה' תַּעֲמֹד בְּרָחוֹק תַּעְלִים לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה

Why do You stand far off, Lord, as if You were not here among us? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

בְּגַאֲוַת רָשָׁע יִדְלַק עָנִי יִתָּפְשׂוּ בִּמְזִמּוֹת זוּ חָשָׁבוּ

The wicked in their pride fervently pursue the afflicted, who are caught in the schemes they plot.

כִּי הִלֵּל רָשָׁע עַל תַּאֲוַת נַפְשׁוֹ וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ נִאֵץ ה'

For the wicked one sings praises about his heart’s desire. If an evil person decides for some reason to praise God, it is only about the attainment of his own desires. And the evil man [botze’a] blesses and reviles the Lord. When that evil person blesses God, his blessing is so insincere that it is actually an affront to Him. An alternative translation of botze’a is “one who breaks bread.” The meaning of this phrase, then, would be that an immoral person who steals bread from another and now sits down to eat it is committing a sacrilege by uttering a blessing over the bread.

רָשָׁע כְּגֹבַהּ אַפּוֹ בַּל יִדְרֹשׁ אֵין אֱלֹהִים כָל מְזִמּוֹתָיו

The wicked one, with his proud countenance, or, alternatively, in his great wrath, does not seek God. The greater his pride or wrath, the less likely he is to seek and find God. God is not in his thoughts. A wicked person does not take God into consideration when he plots to do evil.

יָחִילוּ דְרָכָו בְּכָל עֵת מָרוֹם מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ מִנֶּגְדּוֹ כָּל צוֹרְרָיו יָפִיחַ בָּהֶם

His ways always prosper; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight. It seems, especially to the evil people themselves, that Your judgments “on high” cannot affect them, for they seem to remain successful no matter what they do. As for his foes, he blows at them. With great ease, as if with a puff of air, the evil people blow away their rivals.

אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ בַּל אֶמּוֹט לְדֹר וָדֹר אֲשֶׁר לֹא בְרָע

He said in his heart: I will not stumble. In his heart, the evil person believes himself to be secure, noting: I persist, I am stable; nothing can topple me. Throughout generations I will never be in adversity. He believes he can continue to live and do as he pleases, without anything untoward ever happening to him.

אָלָה פִּיהוּ מָלֵא וּמִרְמוֹת וָתֹךְ תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ עָמָל וָאָוֶן

His mouth is full of curses and deceit and intrigue; beneath his tongue are mischief and wickedness.

יֵשֵׁב בְּמַאְרַב חֲצֵרִים בַּמִּסְתָּרִים יַהֲרֹג נָקִי עֵינָיו לְחֵלְכָה יִצְפֹּנוּ

The following is the wicked person’s mode of action: He lies in wait in courtyards; in hidden places he kills the innocent. He fixes his eyes on the downtrodden. He lies in ambush in unguarded places, on the prowl for his victims.

יֶאֱרֹב בַּמִּסְתָּר כְּאַרְיֵה בְסֻכֹּה יֶאֱרֹב לַחֲטוֹף עָנִי יַחְטֹף עָנִי בְּמָשְׁכוֹ בְרִשְׁתּוֹ

He lurks in a hiding place like a lion in its lair. He lies in wait like a lion in the brambles, stalking its prey. He lurks to catch the poor man; he catches the poor man and draws him into his net. He is deceptive, entrapping the vulnerable person and setting obstacles in his path.

יִדְכֶּה יָשֹׁחַ וְנָפַל בַּעֲצוּמָיו חֵל כָּאִים

He crushes him, forces him to a crouch, and the downtrodden are toppled by his might. He uses his might to crush and oppress the unfortunate, bringing them down.

אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ שָׁכַח אֵל הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו בַּל רָאָה לָנֶצַח

He says to himself: The Almighty has forgotten about our existence. He has hidden His face; He will never see. Since God remains mostly unrevealed in His world, the wicked think they can do as they please. They are convinced that God does not see them.

קוּמָה ה'; אֵל נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ ; אַל תִּשְׁכַּח עֲנָוִים

Here begins the psalmist’s prayer: Arise, Lord God, raise Your hand, reveal Your strength. Do not forget the humble.

עַל מֶה נִאֵץ רָשָׁע אֱלֹהִים אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ

Why has the wicked man mocked God, saying to himself of God: You will not seek? The wicked man believes that God is oblivious, that He has no interest in mankind.

רָאִתָה כִּי אַתָּה עָמָל וָכַעַס תַּבִּיט לָתֵת בְּיָדֶךָ עָלֶיךָ יַעֲזֹב חֵלֵכָה יָתוֹם אַתָּה הָיִיתָ עוֹזֵר

But the truth is that You have seen it; You have beheld mischief and anger. You do look and You do see all the sins and the fury of the world, and You gave it the power to be. You Yourself are the one who makes it possible for evil to flourish in the world. The poor rely on You; You have always helped the orphan. Yet now the world appears to be completely abandoned by You. Because of this, the psalmist beseeches God:

שְׁבֹר זְרוֹעַ רָשָׁע ורָע תִּדְרוֹשׁ רִשְׁעוֹ בַל תִּמְצָא

Break the arm of the wicked one and evildoer; purge his wickedness until You can find none. Eradicate evil to such an extent that if You look for it, You will not find it.

ה' מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד אָבְדוּ גוֹיִם מֵאַרְצוֹ

The Lord is King forever and ever; nations have perished from His land. God has banished the wicked and immoral nations from His land.

תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ ה' תָּכִין לִבָּם תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ

Lord, You hear the desire of the humble, which they express in their prayers. You will strengthen their heart; You will incline Your ear to their prayers,

לִשְׁפֹּט יָתוֹם וָדָךְ בַּל יוֹסִיף עוֹד לַעֲרֹץ אֱנוֹשׁ מִן הָאָרֶץ

to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, so that it, evil, will no longer destroy mortals, particularly those who are weak and vulnerable, from the earth.