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Psalm chapter 94

English Standard Version

1O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! 3O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? 4They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. 6They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; 7 and they say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive." 8 Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? 10He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge — 11 the Lord — knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. 12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, 13to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; 15for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. 16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? 17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. 18When I thought, "My foot slips," your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. 19When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. 20Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? 21They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. 23He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.
New International Version

1The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. 2Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant? 4They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. 5They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance. 6They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.
7They say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice." 8Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? 9Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? 10Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
11The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. 12Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law; 13you grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. 14For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.
15Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. 16Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? 17Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. 18When I said, "My foot is slipping," your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. 20Can a corrupt throne be allied with you— a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? 21The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. 23He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.
New American Standard Bible

1Lord, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth! 2Rise up, Judge of the earth, Pay back retribution to the proud. 3How long, Lord, shall the wicked— How long shall the wicked triumph? 4They pour out words, they speak arrogantly; All who do injustice boast. 5They crush Your people, Lord, And afflict Your inheritance. 6They kill the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. 7They have said, 'The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob perceive.' 8Pay attention, you stupid ones among the people; And when will you understand, foolish ones? 9He who planted the ear, does He not hear? Or He who formed the eye, does He not see? 10He who disciplines the nations, will He not rebuke, He who teaches mankind knowledge? 11The Lord knows human thoughts, That they are mere breath. 12Blessed is the man whom You discipline, Lord, And whom You teach from Your Law, 13So that You may grant him relief from the days of adversity, Until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14For the Lord will not abandon His people, Nor will He abandon His inheritance. 15For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it. 16Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do injustice? 17If the Lord had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence. 18If I should say, 'My foot has slipped,' Your faithfulness, Lord, will support me. 19When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights my soul. 20Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, One which devises mischief by decree? 21They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death. 22But the Lord has been my refuge, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23He has brought back their injustice upon them, And He will destroy them in their evil; The Lord our God will destroy them.
Christian Standard Bible

1 Lord, God of vengeance— God of vengeance, shine! 2Rise up, Judge of the earth; repay the proud what they deserve.
3 Lord, how long will the wicked— how long will the wicked celebrate? 4They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5 Lord, they crush your people; they oppress your heritage. 6They kill the widow and the resident alien and murder the fatherless.
7They say, "The Lord doesn’t see it. The God of Jacob doesn’t pay attention." 8Pay attention, you stupid people! Fools, when will you be wise? 9Can the one who shaped the ear not hear, the one who formed the eye not see? 10The one who instructs nations, the one who teaches mankind knowledge— does he not discipline?
11The Lord knows the thoughts of mankind; they are futile. 12 Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline and teach from your law 13to give him relief from troubled times until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14The Lord will not leave his people or abandon his heritage,
15for the administration of justice will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. 16Who stands up for me against the wicked? Who takes a stand for me against evildoers? 17If the Lord had not been my helper, I would soon rest in the silence of death. 18If I say, "My foot is slipping," your faithful love will support me, Lord.
19When I am filled with cares, your comfort brings me joy. 20Can a corrupt throne be your ally, a throne that makes evil laws? 21They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22But the Lord is my refuge; my God is the rock of my protection. 23He will pay them back for their sins and destroy them for their evil. The Lord our God will destroy them.
New Living Translation

1O Lord, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth! 2Arise, O Judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve. 3How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat? 4How long will they speak with arrogance? How long will these evil people boast? 5They crush your people, Lord, hurting those you claim as your own. 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 he deaf — the one who made your ears? Is he blind — the one who formed your eyes? 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; he knows they are worthless!
12Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions. 13You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug to capture the wicked. 14The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession. 15Judgment will again be founded on justice, and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.
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 settled in the silence of the grave. 18I cried out, 'I am slipping!' but 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 whose decrees permit injustice? 21They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide. 23God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them.
King James Version

1O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
2Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
3Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
4How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
5They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.
6They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
7Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
8Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
9He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
11The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
12Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;
13That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
14For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
16Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
19In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
20Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
21They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.
New King James Version

1O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! 2Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud. 3Lord, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph? 4They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. 5They break in pieces Your people, O Lord, And afflict Your heritage. 6They slay the widow and the stranger, And murder the fatherless. 7 Yet they say, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand.” 8Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? 10He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? 11The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile. 12Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, And teach out of Your law, 13That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked. 14For the Lord will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. 15But judgment will return to righteousness, And all the upright in heart will follow it. 16Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? 17Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence. 18If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. 19In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. 20Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You? 21They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood. 22But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off.

What does Psalm chapter 94 mean?

Psalm 94 refers to injustice and oppression. These may be aimed at immoral leaders within Israel (Psalm 82:2). The accusations might also point to oppressive Gentile nations (Psalm 2:1; 9:17). In either case, arrogance leads wicked men to assume that God does not notice their crimes. This is one of the themes shared with Psalm 10 (Psalm 10:11).

The song opens with a plea for the Lord to act against the oppressive and unjust. These wicked ones—either leaders or nations—harm the innocent and pervert justice. They brag as if they think God doesn't know what they are doing. The psalmist prays for the Lord to quickly intervene: to bring his wrath on these corrupt abusers (Psalm 94:1–7).

Other passages note that all human wisdom starts with an understanding that God is the Creator (Proverbs 1:7). Arrogant men who harm innocents seem to have forgotten this. The psalmist challenges their attitude with rhetorical questions. If God made human eyes, He can see. If He made human ears, He can hear. No person is smart enough to outwit God. Nor can anyone outthink or outmaneuver Him. Everything these evil men do falls under the Lord's sovereign knowledge (Psalm 94:8–11).

Next, the psalm turns to reassurance. Hard times are not always a sign of the Lord's anger. In fact, when God loves someone, He uses discipline to train them (Hebrews 12:6). This means that God can even use the injustices of evil men for the good of His people. The Lord's promises are sure (Psalm 33:4; 93:5). Even when suffering, believers can remember that eternal and ultimate victory is their destiny (Psalm 94:12–15).

All the themes mentioned in this psalm merge into an expression of confidence. Faced with evil, the psalmist doesn't need to abandon hope. Nor does he need to seek revenge himself. Instead, he is sure that God will rescue His people and punish those who do evil. Clearly, evil men are not following the will of God. This overall confidence is based on prior experiences where the Lord made good on His promises. Those who defy Him will be utterly destroyed (Psalm 94:16–23).
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