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)
²I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.^(B)

³When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.^(C)
⁴For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.^(D)

⁵You have rebuked the nations; you have destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name forever and ever.^(E)
⁶The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
    their cities you have rooted out;
    the very memory of them has perished.^(F)

⁷But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.^(G)
⁸He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.^(H)

⁹The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.^(I)
¹⁰And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.^(J)

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.^(K)
¹²For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.^(L)

¹³Be 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)
¹⁴so that I may recount all your praises
    and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
    rejoice in your deliverance.^(N)

¹⁵The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.^(O)
¹⁶The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah^(P)

¹⁷The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.^(Q)

¹⁸For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.^(R)

¹⁹Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.^(S)
²⁰Put 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

The Message

9 ^1-2I’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.

^3-4The 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.

^5-6You 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.

^7-8God 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.

^9-10God’s a safe-house for the battered,
a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
you’re never sorry you knocked.

^11-12Sing 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.

^13-14Be 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.

^15-16They’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.

^17-20The 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.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

The Message (MSG)

Psalm 9 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition