HOW LONG?

God of vengeance, Lord, God of vengeance appear!
Judge of the earth, give the arrogant their recompense.
How long, Lord, how long shall the wicked exult?
They speak with arrogance, lies, boasting, these workers of iniquity.

They crush Your nation, Lord, they afflict Your heritage.
Widows and strangers they slay; orphans they murder.
They say, “The Lord will not see,
Nor will the God of Jacob comprehend.”

Understand, you boors.
When will you fools be wise?

He who shapes the ear, shall He not hear?
He who forms the eye, shall He not see?
Surely He who disciplines nations will chastise -
He who teaches mortals knowledge.

The Lord knows human schemes, how futile they are.
Blessed the one whom He disciplines and teaches from the Torah,
To give him rest from the evil days
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.

The Lord will not abandon His people,
He will not forsake His very own.
Justice will return to the righteous;
All the upright in heart will follow it.

Who will stand up for me against the ungodly?
Who will take my part against evildoers?
Were it not for God’s help, I would be in my grave.

When my foot slipped, the Lord’s love supported me.
When I am filled with cares, His comfort soothes my soul.

Are you allied with the throne of wickedness,
Those who make evil a way of life?
They organize against the righteous,
They condemn the innocent to death.

The Lord is my refuge;
My God is my sheltering Rock.

He will turn their own violence back upon them,
Destroy them with their own evil.
The Lord our God will destroy them.

- Psalm 94

We recite a psalm every day as part of our morning service: Today being Wednesday, the psalm of the day is Psalm 94. As we convened for our usual post-minyan breakfast, one of our number pointed out that this psalm - easily the most dire of the daily selections - seemed to be especially apropos given the events of the past few days.