Psalm 11

Abraham Coles

2 "For lo, the wicked bend the bow,
They to the string their arrow suit;
Hid in the dark, that none may know,
They ready stand at thee to shoot.

"The labor of thy hands is void;
In vain thou dost the work pursue;
3 If the foundations are destroyed.
What can the righteous man then do?"

4 The Lord is in His Temple, why
Should we take counsel of despair?
His throne is fixed above the sky,
No earthly power can reach it there.

Enough to know, His eyes behold,
His eyelids try the sons of men —
5 He proves and purifies the gold,
And naught deceives his searching ken.

6 Upon the wicked He shall rain
Snares, fire and brimstone, as of yore;
The portion of their cup is pain.
Is, was, and shall be evermore.

7 For that the Lord is righteous, He
Loves righteousness, and evil hates:
The upright man His face shall see, —
Immortal honor him awaits.