Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Righteous Judgments

To the Chief Musician. To the tune of [a]“Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David.

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and (A)rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, (B)O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
You have rebuked the [b]nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have (C)blotted out their name forever and ever.

O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has (D)perished.
(E)But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
(F)He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

The Lord also will be a (G)refuge[c] for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who (H)know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
(I)Declare His deeds among the people.
12 (J)When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the [d]humble.

13 Have mercy on me, O Lord!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praise
In the gates of [e]the daughter of Zion.
I will (K)rejoice in Your salvation.

15 (L)The [f]nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
16 The Lord is (M)known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
(N)Meditation.[g] Selah

17 The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the [h]nations (O)that forget God.
18 (P)For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
(Q)The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

19 Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the [i]nations be judged in Your sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the [j]nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil

10 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride [k]persecutes the poor;
(R)Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

For the wicked (S)boasts of his heart’s desire;
[l]He (T)blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.
The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
[m]God is in none of his (U)thoughts.

His ways [n]are always prospering;
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
(V)He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
(W)I shall never be in adversity.”
(X)His mouth is full of cursing and (Y)deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
In the secret places he murders the innocent;
His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;
He lies in wait to catch the poor;
He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 So [o]he crouches, he lies low,
That the helpless may fall by his [p]strength.
11 He has said in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
He hides His face;
He will never see.”

12 Arise, O Lord!
O God, (Z)lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the (AA)humble.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
“You will not require an account.

14 But You have (AB)seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
To repay it by Your hand.
The helpless (AC)commits[q] himself to You;
(AD)You are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16 (AE)The Lord is King forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear,
18 To [r]do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may [s]oppress no more.

Faith in the Lord’s Righteousness

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

11 In (AF)the Lord I put my trust;
How can you say to my soul,
“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
For look! (AG)The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot [t]secretly at the upright in heart.
(AH)If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?

The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s (AI)throne is in heaven;
(AJ)His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.
The Lord (AK)tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
(AL)Shall be [u]the portion of their cup.

For the Lord is righteous,
He (AM)loves righteousness;
[v]His countenance beholds the upright.

Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy

To the Chief Musician. (AN)On [w]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.

12 Help,[x] Lord, for the godly man (AO)ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
(AP)They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and [y]a double heart they speak.

May the Lord [z]cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks [aa]proud things,
Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”

The words of the Lord are (AQ)pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
(AR)How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
(AS)Enlighten my eyes,
(AT)Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph(AU)

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

14 The (AV)fool has said in his heart,
There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

(AW)The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
(AX)They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And (AY)do not call on the Lord?
There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his (AZ)refuge.

(BA)Oh,[ab] that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
(BB)When the Lord brings back [ac]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

The Character of Those Who May Dwell with the Lord

A Psalm of David.

15 Lord, (BC)who may [ad]abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the (BD)truth in his heart;
He who (BE)does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
(BF)Nor does he [ae]take up a reproach against his friend;
(BG)In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord;
He who (BH)swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He who does not put out his money at usury,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things (BI)shall never be moved.

The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory

A (BJ)Michtam of David.

16 Preserve[af] me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
(BK)My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in (BL)whom is all my delight.”

Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of (BM)blood I will not offer,
(BN)Nor take up their names on my lips.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You [ag]maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My [ah]heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
(BO)I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will [ai]rest in hope.
10 (BP)For You will not leave my soul in [aj]Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to [ak]see corruption.
11 You will show me the (BQ)path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Heb. Muth Labben
  2. Psalm 9:5 Gentiles
  3. Psalm 9:9 Lit. secure height
  4. Psalm 9:12 afflicted
  5. Psalm 9:14 Jerusalem
  6. Psalm 9:15 Gentiles
  7. Psalm 9:16 Heb. Higgaion
  8. Psalm 9:17 Gentiles
  9. Psalm 9:19 Gentiles
  10. Psalm 9:20 Gentiles
  11. Psalm 10:2 hotly pursues
  12. Psalm 10:3 Or The greedy man curses and spurns the Lord
  13. Psalm 10:4 Or All his thoughts are, “There is no God”
  14. Psalm 10:5 Lit. are strong
  15. Psalm 10:10 Or he is crushed, is bowed
  16. Psalm 10:10 Or mighty ones
  17. Psalm 10:14 Lit. leaves, entrusts
  18. Psalm 10:18 vindicate
  19. Psalm 10:18 terrify
  20. Psalm 11:2 Lit. in darkness
  21. Psalm 11:6 Their allotted portion or serving
  22. Psalm 11:7 Or The upright beholds His countenance
  23. Psalm 12:1 Heb. sheminith
  24. Psalm 12:1 Save
  25. Psalm 12:2 An inconsistent mind
  26. Psalm 12:3 destroy
  27. Psalm 12:3 great
  28. Psalm 14:7 Lit. Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?
  29. Psalm 14:7 Or His captive people
  30. Psalm 15:1 sojourn
  31. Psalm 15:3 receive
  32. Psalm 16:1 Watch over
  33. Psalm 16:5 Lit. uphold
  34. Psalm 16:7 Mind, lit. kidneys
  35. Psalm 16:9 Or dwell securely
  36. Psalm 16:10 The abode of the dead
  37. Psalm 16:10 undergo

Psalm 9[a][b]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;(A)
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.(B)
I will be glad and rejoice(C) in you;
    I will sing the praises(D) of your name,(E) O Most High.

My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
For you have upheld my right(F) and my cause,(G)
    sitting enthroned(H) as the righteous judge.(I)
You have rebuked the nations(J) and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name(K) for ever and ever.
Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;(L)
    even the memory of them(M) has perished.

The Lord reigns forever;(N)
    he has established his throne(O) for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness(P)
    and judges the peoples with equity.(Q)
The Lord is a refuge(R) for the oppressed,(S)
    a stronghold in times of trouble.(T)
10 Those who know your name(U) trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken(V) those who seek you.(W)

11 Sing the praises(X) of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;(Y)
    proclaim among the nations(Z) what he has done.(AA)
12 For he who avenges blood(AB) remembers;
    he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.(AC)

13 Lord, see how my enemies(AD) persecute me!
    Have mercy(AE) and lift me up from the gates of death,(AF)
14 that I may declare your praises(AG)
    in the gates of Daughter Zion,(AH)
    and there rejoice in your salvation.(AI)

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;(AJ)
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.(AK)
16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.[c](AL)
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,(AM)
    all the nations that forget God.(AN)
18 But God will never forget the needy;
    the hope(AO) of the afflicted(AP) will never perish.

19 Arise,(AQ) Lord, do not let mortals triumph;(AR)
    let the nations be judged(AS) in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror,(AT) Lord;
    let the nations know they are only mortal.(AU)

Psalm 10[d]

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?(AV)
    Why do you hide yourself(AW) in times of trouble?

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,(AX)
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts(AY) about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.(AZ)
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.(BA)
His ways are always prosperous;
    your laws are rejected by[e] him;
    he sneers at all his enemies.
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
    He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”(BB)

His mouth is full(BC) of lies and threats;(BD)
    trouble and evil are under his tongue.(BE)
He lies in wait(BF) near the villages;
    from ambush he murders the innocent.(BG)
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
    like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;(BH)
    he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.(BI)
10 His victims are crushed,(BJ) they collapse;
    they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;(BK)
    he covers his face and never sees.”(BL)

12 Arise,(BM) Lord! Lift up your hand,(BN) O God.
    Do not forget the helpless.(BO)
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?(BP)
    Why does he say to himself,
    “He won’t call me to account”?(BQ)
14 But you, God, see the trouble(BR) of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;(BS)
    you are the helper(BT) of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;(BU)
    call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
    that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;(BV)
    the nations(BW) will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;(BX)
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,(BY)
18 defending the fatherless(BZ) and the oppressed,(CA)
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

In the Lord I take refuge.(CB)
    How then can you say to me:
    “Flee(CC) like a bird to your mountain.(CD)
For look, the wicked bend their bows;(CE)
    they set their arrows(CF) against the strings
to shoot from the shadows(CG)
    at the upright in heart.(CH)
When the foundations(CI) are being destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple;(CJ)
    the Lord is on his heavenly throne.(CK)
He observes everyone on earth;(CL)
    his eyes examine(CM) them.
The Lord examines the righteous,(CN)
    but the wicked, those who love violence,
    he hates with a passion.(CO)
On the wicked he will rain
    fiery coals and burning sulfur;(CP)
    a scorching wind(CQ) will be their lot.

For the Lord is righteous,(CR)
    he loves justice;(CS)
    the upright(CT) will see his face.(CU)

Psalm 12[f]

For the director of music. According to sheminith.[g] A psalm of David.

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;(CV)
    those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
Everyone lies(CW) to their neighbor;
    they flatter with their lips
    but harbor deception in their hearts.(CX)

May the Lord silence all flattering lips(CY)
    and every boastful tongue—(CZ)
those who say,
    “By our tongues we will prevail;(DA)
    our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

“Because the poor are plundered(DB) and the needy groan,(DC)
    I will now arise,(DD)” says the Lord.
    “I will protect them(DE) from those who malign them.”
And the words of the Lord are flawless,(DF)
    like silver purified(DG) in a crucible,(DH)
    like gold[h] refined seven times.

You, Lord, will keep the needy safe(DI)
    and will protect us forever from the wicked,(DJ)
who freely strut(DK) about
    when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Psalm 13[i]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

How long,(DL) Lord? Will you forget me(DM) forever?
    How long will you hide your face(DN) from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts(DO)
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?(DP)

Look on me(DQ) and answer,(DR) Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes,(DS) or I will sleep in death,(DT)
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,(DU)
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.(DV)

But I trust in your unfailing love;(DW)
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.(DX)
I will sing(DY) the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

Psalm 14(DZ)

For the director of music. Of David.

The fool[j] says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”(EA)
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven(EB)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(EC)
    any who seek God.(ED)
All have turned away,(EE) all have become corrupt;(EF)
    there is no one who does good,(EG)
    not even one.(EH)

Do all these evildoers know nothing?(EI)

They devour my people(EJ) as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.(EK)
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.(EL)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!(EM)
    When the Lord restores(EN) his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

Lord, who may dwell(EO) in your sacred tent?(EP)
    Who may live on your holy mountain?(EQ)

The one whose walk is blameless,(ER)
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth(ES) from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,(ET)
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
    but honors(EU) those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath(EV) even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;(EW)
    who does not accept a bribe(EX) against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.(EY)

Psalm 16

A miktam[k] of David.

Keep me safe,(EZ) my God,
    for in you I take refuge.(FA)

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;(FB)
    apart from you I have no good thing.”(FC)
I say of the holy people(FD) who are in the land,(FE)
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Those who run after other gods(FF) will suffer(FG) more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names(FH) on my lips.

Lord, you alone are my portion(FI) and my cup;(FJ)
    you make my lot(FK) secure.
The boundary lines(FL) have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.(FM)
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;(FN)
    even at night(FO) my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand,(FP) I will not be shaken.(FQ)

Therefore my heart is glad(FR) and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,(FS)
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,(FT)
    nor will you let your faithful[l] one(FU) see decay.(FV)
11 You make known to me the path of life;(FW)
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,(FX)
    with eternal pleasures(FY) at your right hand.(FZ)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
  2. Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.
  3. Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.
  4. Psalm 10:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
  5. Psalm 10:5 See Septuagint; Hebrew / they are haughty, and your laws are far from
  6. Psalm 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-8 is numbered 12:2-9.
  7. Psalm 12:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  8. Psalm 12:6 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text earth
  9. Psalm 13:1 In Hebrew texts 13:1-6 is numbered 13:2-6.
  10. Psalm 14:1 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.
  11. Psalm 16:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  12. Psalm 16:10 Or holy