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

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

Yahweh Will Judge the World in Righteousness

For the choir director. [a]Almuth-labben. A Psalm of David.

Aleph

[b]I will give thanks to Yahweh with all (A)my heart;
I will (B)recount all Your [c]wondrous deeds.

Aleph

I will be glad and (C)exult in You;
I will (D)sing praise to Your name, O (E)Most High.

Beth

When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and (F)perish before You.
For You have (G)maintained my [d]justice and my cause;
You have sat on the throne [e](H)judging righteously.

Gimel

You have (I)rebuked the nations, You have made the wicked perish;
You have (J)blotted out their name forever and ever.

He

[f]The enemy has come to an end in perpetual [g]ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very (K)memory of them has perished.

Vav

But (L)Yahweh [h]abides forever;
He has established His (M)throne for judgment,

Vav

And He will (N)judge the world in righteousness;
He will render justice for the peoples with equity.

Vav

[i]Yahweh also will be a (O)stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of [j]distress;

Vav

10 And [k]those who (P)know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O Yahweh, have not (Q)forsaken those who seek You.

Zayin

11 Sing praises to Yahweh, who (R)abides in Zion;
(S)Declare among the peoples His acts.
12 For (T)He who [l]requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget (U)the cry of the afflicted.

Heth

13 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh;
See my affliction from those (V)who hate me,
You who (W)lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may recount (X)all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may (Y)rejoice in Your [m]salvation.

Teth

15 The nations have sunk down (Z)in the pit which they have made;
In the (AA)net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 Yahweh has (AB)made Himself known;
He has (AC)executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. [n]Higgaion [o]Selah.

Yodh

17 The wicked will [p](AD)return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who (AE)forget God.

Kaph

18 For the (AF)needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the (AG)hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 (AH)Arise, O Yahweh, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be (AI)judged before You.
20 Put them (AJ)in fear, O Yahweh;
Let the nations know that they are (AK)but men. Selah.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9 Title Or According to the Death of the Son; possibly a title for a tune
  2. Psalm 9:1 This poem loosely follows an acrostic pattern
  3. Psalm 9:1 Or miracles
  4. Psalm 9:4 Or right
  5. Psalm 9:4 Or a righteous Judge
  6. Psalm 9:6 Or O enemy, desolations are finished forever; And their cities You have plucked up
  7. Psalm 9:6 Or waste places
  8. Psalm 9:7 Or sits as king
  9. Psalm 9:9 Or Let Yahweh also be
  10. Psalm 9:9 Or trouble
  11. Psalm 9:10 Or let those...name put
  12. Psalm 9:12 Avenges bloodshed
  13. Psalm 9:14 Or deliverance
  14. Psalm 9:16 Possibly resounding music or meditation
  15. Psalm 9:16 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  16. Psalm 9:17 Or turn