Psalm 9
New American Standard Bible
Thanksgiving for God’s Justice.
For the music director; on [a]Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
9 I will give thanks to the Lord with all (A)my heart;
I will (B)tell of all Your [b]wonders.
2 I will rejoice and be (C)jubilant in You;
I will (D)sing praise to Your name, O (E)Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and (F)perish before You.
4 For You have (G)maintained [c]my just cause;
You have sat on the throne [d](H)judging righteously.
5 You have (I)rebuked the nations, You have eliminated the wicked;
You have (J)wiped out their name forever and ever.
6 [e]The enemy has come to an end in everlasting ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very (K)memory of them has perished.
7 But the (L)Lord [f]sits as King forever;
He has established His (M)throne for judgment,
8 And He will (N)judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples fairly.
9 [g]The Lord will also be a (O)stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble;
10 And [h]those who (P)know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, Lord, have not (Q)abandoned those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who (R)dwells in Zion;
(S)Declare His deeds among the peoples.
12 For (T)He who [i]requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget (U)the cry of the needy.
13 Be gracious to me, Lord;
See my oppression from those (V)who hate me,
You who (W)lift me up from the gates of death,
14 So that I may tell of (X)all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may (Y)rejoice in Your [j]salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down (Z)into the pit which they have made;
In the (AA)net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has (AB)made Himself known;
He has (AC)executed judgment.
A wicked one is ensnared in the work of his own hands. [k]Higgaion Selah
17 The wicked will [l](AD)return to [m]Sheol,
All the nations who (AE)forget God.
18 For the (AF)needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the (AG)hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 (AH)Arise, Lord, do not let mankind prevail;
Let the nations be (AI)judged before You.
20 Put them (AJ)in fear, Lord;
Let the nations know that they are (AK)merely human. Selah
Footnotes
- Psalm 9 Title Meaning of the Heb uncertain
- Psalm 9:1 Or miracles
- Psalm 9:4 Lit my right and my cause
- Psalm 9:4 Or a righteous Judge
- Psalm 9:6 Or O enemy, desolations are finished forever; And their cities You have uprooted
- Psalm 9:7 Or remains forever
- Psalm 9:9 Or Let the Lord also be
- Psalm 9:10 Or let those...name put
- Psalm 9:12 I.e., avenges bloodshed
- Psalm 9:14 Or deliverance
- Psalm 9:16 Perhaps, resounding music or meditation
- Psalm 9:17 Or turn
- Psalm 9:17 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 9
God’s Power and Justice
To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
1 [a]I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.(A)
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.(B)
3 When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.(C)
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.(D)
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.(E)
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.(F)
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.(G)
8 He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.(H)
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.(I)
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.(J)
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.(K)
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.(L)
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,(M)
14 so that I may recount all your praises
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.(N)
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.(O)
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah(P)
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.(Q)
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.(R)
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.(S)
20 Put them in fear, O Lord;
let the nations know that they are only human. Selah(T)
Footnotes
- 9.1 Psalms 9–10 were originally one psalm, as in the Greek and Latin traditions. In Hebrew, Psalms 9–10 formed an acrostic.
Psalm 9
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
9 Unto the end, for the hidden things of the Son. A psalm for David.
2 I will give praise to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will relate all thy wonders.
3 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing to thy name, O thou most high.
4 When my enemy shall be turned back: they shall be weakened and perish before thy face.
5 For thou hast maintained my judgment and my cause: thou hast sat on the throne, who judgest justice.
6 Thou hast rebuked the Gentiles, and the wicked one hath perished: thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever.
7 The swords of the enemy have failed unto the end: and their cities thou hast destroyed. Their memory hath perished with a noise.
8 But the Lord remaineth for ever. He hath prepared his throne in judgment:
9 And he shall judge the world in equity, he shall judge the people in justice.
10 And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor: a helper in due time in tribulation.
11 And let them trust in thee who know thy name: for thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee, O Lord.
12 Sing ye to the Lord, who dwelleth in Sion: declare his ways among the Gentiles:
13 For requiring their blood he hath remembered the: he hath not forgotten the cry of the poor.
14 Have mercy on me, O Lord: see my humiliation which I suffer from my enemies.
15 Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion.
16 I will rejoice in thy salvation: the Gentiles have stuck fast in the destruction which they have prepared. Their foot hath been taken in the very snare which they hid.
17 The Lord shall be known when he executeth judgments: the sinner hath been caught in the works of his own hands.
18 The wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God.
19 For the poor man shall not be forgotten to the end: the patience of the poor shall not perish for ever.
20 Arise, O Lord, let not man be strengthened: let the Gentiles be judged in thy sight.
21 Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them: that the Gentiles may know themselves to be but men.
22 Why, O Lord, hast thou retired afar off? why dost thou slight us in our wants, in the time of trouble?
23 Whilst the wicked man is proud, the poor is set on fire: they are caught in the counsels which they devise.
24 For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul: and the unjust man is blessed.
25 The sinner hath provoked the Lord according to the multitude of his wrath he will not seek him:
26 God is not before his eyes: his ways are filthy at all times. Thy judgments are removed from his sight: he shall rule over all his enemies.
27 For he hath said in his heart: I shall not be moved from generation to generation, and shall be without evil.
28 His mouth is full of cursing, and of bitterness, and of deceit: under his tongue are labour and sorrow.
29 He sitteth in ambush with the rich in private places, that he may kill the innocent.
30 His eyes are upon the poor man: He lieth in wait in secret like a lion in his den. He lieth in ambush that he may catch the poor man: to catch the poor, whilst he draweth him to him.
31 In his net he will bring him down, he will crouch and fall, when he shall have power over the poor.
32 For he hath said in his heart: God hath forgotten, he hath turned away his face not to see to the end.
33 Arise, O Lord God, let thy hand be exalted: forget not the poor.
34 Wherefore hath the wicked provoked God? for he hath said in his heart: He will not require it.
35 Thou seest it, for thou considerest labour and sorrow: that thou mayst deliver them into thy hands. To thee is the poor man left: thou wilt be a helper to the orphan.
36 Break thou the arm of the sinner and of the malignant: his sin shall be sought, and shall not be found.
37 The Lord shall reign to eternity, yea, for ever and ever: ye Gentiles shall perish from his land.
38 The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor: thy ear hath heard the preparation of their heart.
39 To judge for the fatherless and for the humble, that man may no more presume to magnify himself upon earth.
Psalm 9
The Message
9 1-2 I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart,
I’m writing the book on your wonders.
I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;
I’m singing your song, High God.
3-4 The day my enemies turned tail and ran,
they stumbled on you and fell on their faces.
You took over and set everything right;
when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.
5-6 You blow the whistle on godless nations;
you throw dirty players out of the game,
wipe their names right off the roster.
Enemies disappear from the sidelines,
their reputation trashed,
their names erased from the halls of fame.
7-8 God holds the high center,
he sees and sets the world’s mess right.
He decides what is right for us earthlings,
gives people their just deserts.
9-10 God’s a safe-house for the battered,
a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
you’re never sorry you knocked.
11-12 Sing your songs to Zion-dwelling God,
tell his stories to everyone you meet:
How he tracks down killers
yet keeps his eye on us,
registers every whimper and moan.
13-14 Be kind to me, God;
I’ve been kicked around long enough.
Once you’ve pulled me back
from the gates of death,
I’ll write the book on Hallelujahs;
on the corner of Main and First
I’ll hold a street meeting;
I’ll be the song leader; we’ll fill the air
with salvation songs.
15-16 They’re trapped, those godless countries,
in the very snares they set,
Their feet all tangled
in the net they spread.
They have no excuse;
the way God works is well-known.
The shrewd machinery made by the wicked
has maimed their own hands.
17-20 The wicked bought a one-way
ticket to hell.
No longer will the poor be nameless—
no more humiliation for the humble.
Up, God! Aren’t you fed up with their empty strutting?
Expose these grand pretensions!
Shake them up, God!
Show them how silly they look.
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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