God is the author of 

retributive justice 

¹ The Lord is a God who punishes.
Since you are the one who punishes, come and show your anger.

² Judge of the earth, rise up.
Pay back proud people for what they have done.

³ Lord, how long will those who are evil be glad?
How long will they be full of joy?

⁴ Proud words pour out of their mouths.
All those who do evil are always bragging.

⁵ Lord, they crush your people.
They treat badly those who belong to you.

⁶ They kill outsiders. They kill widows.
They murder children whose fathers have died.

⁷ They say, “The Lord doesn’t see what’s happening.
The God of Jacob doesn’t pay any attention to it.”

⁸ You who aren’t wise, pay attention.
You foolish people, when will you become wise?

⁹ Does he who made the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?

¹⁰ Does he who corrects nations not punish?
Does he who teaches human beings not know anything?

¹¹ The Lord knows what people think.
He knows that their thoughts don’t amount to anything.

¹² Lord, blessed is the person you correct.
Blessed is the person you teach from your law.

¹³ You give them rest from times of trouble,
until a pit is dug to trap sinners.

¹⁴ The Lord won’t say no to his people.
He will never desert those who belong to him.

¹⁵ He will again judge people in keeping with what is right.
All those who have honest hearts will follow the right way.

¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against sinful people?
Who will stand up for me against those who do evil?

¹⁷ Suppose the Lord had not helped me.
Then I would soon have been lying quietly in the grave.
¹⁸ I said, “My foot is slipping.”
But Lord, your faithful love kept me from falling.
¹⁹ I was very worried.
But your comfort brought me joy.

¹⁸ I said, “My foot is slipping.”
But Lord, your faithful love kept me from falling.

¹⁹ I was very worried.
But your comfort brought me joy.

²⁰ Can you have anything to do with rulers who aren’t fair?
Can those who make laws that cause suffering be friends of yours?

²¹ Evil people join together against those who do what is right.
They sentence to death those who aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong.

²² But the Lord has become like a fort to me.
My God is my rock. I go to him for safety.

²³ He will pay them back for their sins.
He will destroy them for their evil acts.
The Lord our God will destroy them.