The full text of the psalm is below the fold. I was haunted by the phrase "He lies in wait near the villages, from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims," which reminded me of the descriptions of the Sierra Leonean civil war in the book A Long Way Gone. And "His ways are always prosperous... His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats" reminds me of the warlords in the movie Blood Diamond.
At the time that Psalm 10 was written, and for many centuries afterwards, slavery and the slave trade were a fact of life.
Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts of the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
His ways are always prosperous
he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
he sneers at all his enemies.He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me;
I'll always be happy and never have trouble.
His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.He lies in wait near the villages
from ambush he murders the innocent,
watching in secret for his victims.
He lies in wait like a lion in cover;
he lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.He says to himself, "God has forgotten;
he covers his face and never sees.Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
"He won't call me to account"?
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
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