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

Lord, I will give thanks to you with all my heart.
    I will tell about all the wonderful things you have done.
I will be glad and full of joy because of you.
    Most High God, I will sing the praises of your name.

My enemies turn back.
    They fall down and die right in front of you.
You have proved that I haven’t done anything wrong.
    You have sat on your throne and judged fairly.
You have punished the nations. You have destroyed evil people.
    You have erased their names from your book for ever and ever.
My enemies have been destroyed forever.
    You have leveled their cities to the ground.
    Even the memory of them is gone.

The Lord rules forever.
    He has set up his throne so that he can judge people.
He rules the world in keeping with what is right.
    He judges all its people fairly.
The Lord is a place of safety for those who have been treated badly.
    He keeps them safe in times of trouble.
10 Lord, those who know you will trust in you.
    You have never deserted those who look to you.

11 Sing the praises of the Lord. He rules from his throne in Zion.
    Tell among the nations what he has done.
12 The God who pays back murderers remembers.
    He doesn’t forget the cries of those who are hurting.

13 Lord, see how badly my enemies treat me!
    Help me! Don’t let me go down to the gates of death!
14 Then I can give praise to you
    at the gates of the city of Zion.
There I will be full of joy
    because you have saved me.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug.
    Their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The Lord is known to be fair by the things he does.
    Evil people are trapped by what they have done.
17 Sinful people go down to the place of the dead.
    So do all the nations that forget God.
18 But God will never forget needy people.
    The hope of those who are hurting will never die.

19 Lord, rise up. Don’t let people win the battle.
    Let the nations come to you and be judged.
20 Lord, strike them with terror.
Let the nations know they are only human beings.

10 Lord, why are you so far away?
    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

An evil person is proud and hunts down those who are weak.
    He catches weak people by making clever plans.
He brags about what his heart desires.
    He speaks well of those who always want more.
    He attacks the Lord with his words.
Because he is proud, that evil person doesn’t turn to the Lord.
    There is no room for God in any of his thoughts.
Everything always goes well for him.
    So he is proud.
He doesn’t want to have anything to do with God’s laws.
    He makes fun of all his enemies.
He says to himself, “I will always be secure.”
    He promises himself, “No one will ever harm me.”
His mouth is full of lies and warnings.
    With his tongue he speaks evil and makes trouble.

Sinful people hide and wait near the villages.
    From their hiding places they murder people who aren’t guilty.
    They watch in secret for those they want to attack.
They hide and wait like a lion in the bushes.
    From their hiding places they wait to catch those who are helpless.
    They catch them and drag them off in their nets.
10 Those they have attacked are beaten up. They fall to the ground.
    They fall because their attackers are too strong for them.
11 Sinful people say to themselves, “God will never notice.
    He covers his face. He never sees us.”

12 Lord, rise up! God, show your power!
    Don’t forget those who are helpless.
13 Why do sinful people attack you with their words?
    Why do they say to themselves,
    “He won’t hold us accountable”?
14 God, you see the problems of people in trouble.
    You take note of their pain. You do something about it.
So those who are attacked place themselves in your care.
    You help children whose fathers have died.
15 Take away the power of sinful people.
    Hold them accountable for the evil things they do.
    Uncover all the evil they have done.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever.
    The nations will disappear from his land.
17 Lord, you hear the desires of those who are hurting.
    You cheer them up and give them hope.
    You listen to their cries.
18 You stand up for those whose fathers have died
    and for those who have been treated badly.
You do it so that mere human beings made of dust
    may not terrify others anymore.

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

11 I run to the Lord for safety.
    So how can you say to me,
    “Fly away like a bird to your mountain.
Look! Evil people are bending their bows.
    They are placing their arrows against the strings.
They are planning to shoot from the shadows
    at those who have honest hearts.
When law and order are being destroyed,
    what can godly people do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple.
    The Lord is on his throne in heaven.
He watches everyone on earth.
    His eyes study them.
The Lord watches over those who do what is right.
    But he really hates sinful people and those who love to hurt others.
He will pour out flaming coals and burning sulfur
    on those who do what is wrong.
    A hot and dry wind will destroy them.

The Lord always does what is right.
    So he loves it when people do what is fair.
    Those who are honest will enjoy his blessing.

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

12 Help, Lord! No one does what is right anymore.
    Those who are faithful have disappeared from the human race.
Everyone tells lies to their neighbors.
    With their lips they praise others, but they don’t really mean it.

May the Lord close all lips that don’t mean what they say.
    May he stop every tongue that brags.
They say, “What we speak with our tongues will win the battle.
    What we say with our lips will keep us safe. No one will have victory over us.”

The Lord says, “The poor are being robbed.
    Those who are in need groan.
So I will stand up to help them.
    I will keep them safe from those who tell lies about them.”
The words of the Lord are perfect.
    They are like silver made pure in a clay furnace.
    They are like gold made pure seven times over.

Lord, you will keep needy people safe.
    You will always keep sinners from hurting us.
Proud and sinful people walk around openly
    when the evil they do is praised by the human race.

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