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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)

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.

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

Psalm 9

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Death of the Son.”

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
    I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

My enemies retreated;
    they staggered and died when you appeared.
For you have judged in my favor;
    from your throne you have judged with fairness.
You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have erased their names forever.
The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
    the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.

But the Lord reigns forever,
    executing judgment from his throne.
He will judge the world with justice
    and rule the nations with fairness.
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

11 Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.[a]
    Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
    He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

13 Lord, have mercy on me.
    See how my enemies torment me.
    Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
14 Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
    so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
    Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
16 The Lord is known for his justice.
    The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude[b]

17 The wicked will go down to the grave.[c]
    This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
18 But the needy will not be ignored forever;
    the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

19 Arise, O Lord!
    Do not let mere mortals defy you!
    Judge the nations!
20 Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.
    Let the nations know they are merely human. Interlude

Footnotes

  1. 9:11 Hebrew Zion; also in 9:14.
  2. 9:16 Hebrew Higgaion Selah. The meaning of this phrase is uncertain.
  3. 9:17 Hebrew to Sheol.

Thanksgiving to God for His Justice[a]

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.
I will sing with joy because of you.
    I will sing praise to you, Almighty God.

My enemies turn back when you appear;
    they fall down and die.
You are fair and honest in your judgments,
    and you have judged in my favor.

You have condemned the heathen
    and destroyed the wicked;
    they will be remembered no more.
Our enemies are finished forever;
    you have destroyed their cities,
    and they are completely forgotten.

But the Lord is king forever;
    he has set up his throne for judgment.
He rules the world with righteousness;
    he judges the nations with justice.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a place of safety in times of trouble.
10 Those who know you, Lord, will trust you;
    you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

11 Sing praise to the Lord, who rules in Zion!
    Tell every nation what he has done!
12 God remembers those who suffer;
    he does not forget their cry,
    and he punishes those who wrong them.

13 (A)Be merciful to me, O Lord!
    See the sufferings my enemies cause me!
Rescue me from death, O Lord,
14     that I may stand before the people of Jerusalem
    and tell them all the things for which I praise you.
I will rejoice because you saved me.

15 The heathen have dug a pit and fallen in;
    they have been caught in their own trap.
16 The Lord has revealed himself by his righteous judgments,
    and the wicked are trapped by their own deeds.

17 Death is the destiny of all the wicked,
    of all those who reject God.
18 The needy will not always be neglected;
    the hope of the poor will not be crushed forever.

19 Come, Lord! Do not let anyone defy you!
    Bring the heathen before you
    and pronounce judgment on them.
20 Make them afraid, O Lord;
    make them know that they are only mortal beings.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.

Psalm 9

God’s Power and Justice

To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.

[a]I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.(A)
I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.(B)

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

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

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

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

  1. 9.1 Psalms 9–10 were originally one psalm, as in the Greek and Latin traditions. In Hebrew, Psalms 9–10 formed an acrostic.