The sonnet “A Plea for Righteous Reckoning,” inspired by Psalm 7:9 (KJV)—”Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins”—is a prayer to God, asking Him to end the wickedness of the unjust and bring their evil deeds to a close. It seeks the strengthening and protection of the righteous, acknowledging God as the righteous judge who examines the innermost thoughts and desires of all people. The poem contrasts the downfall of the wicked with the triumph of the just, emphasizing divine justice that penetrates beyond human perception, ultimately establishing peace and righteousness through God’s eternal authority.

O Lord, let wickedness at last be stilled,
Its dark dominion brought to swift decay,
The wicked’s guile by Thee alone is willed,
To end their reign in Thine appointed day.

Establish firm the just, who seek Thy face,
Their souls upright beneath Thy holy sight,
For Thou, O God, dost try each hidden place,
The hearts and reins revealed in righteous light.

Thy judgment pierces deep where mortals fail,
No thought escapes Thy pure and probing eye,
The just arise where wicked powers quail,
Their malice hushed beneath Thy boundless sky.

So let their evil cease, their strength unwind,
While justice reigns, eternal and refined.