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Psalm 9[a]

For the music leader. According to Muth-labben.[b] A psalm of David.

I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will talk about all your wonderful acts.
I will celebrate and rejoice in you;
    I will sing praises to your name, Most High.

When my enemies turn and retreat,
    they fall down and die right in front of you
    because you have established justice
        for me and my claim,
    because you rule from the throne,
        establishing justice rightly.

You’ve denounced the nations,
    destroyed the wicked.
    You’ve erased their names for all time.
Every enemy is wiped out,
    like something ruined forever.
You’ve torn down their cities—
    even the memory of them is dead.

But the Lord rules forever!
    He assumes his throne
    for the sake of justice.
He will establish justice in the world rightly;
    he will judge all people fairly.
The Lord is a safe place for the oppressed—
    a safe place in difficult times.
10 Those who know your name trust you
    because you have not abandoned
    any who seek you, Lord.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who lives in Zion!
    Proclaim his mighty acts among all people!
12 Because the one who avenges bloodshed
    remembers those who suffer;
    the Lord hasn’t forgotten their cries for help.

13 Have mercy on me, Lord!
    Just look how I suffer
    because of those who hate me.
But you are the one who brings me back
    from the very gates of death
14         so I can declare all your praises,
        so I can rejoice in your salvation
        in the gates of Daughter Zion.

15 The nations have fallen
    into the hole they themselves made!
    Their feet are caught
        in the very net they themselves hid!
16 The Lord is famous for the justice he has done;
    it’s his own doing that the wicked are trapped. Higgayon.[c] Selah

17 Let the wicked go straight to the grave,[d]
    the same for every nation that forgets God.

18 Because the poor won’t be forgotten forever,
    the hope of those who suffer won’t be lost for all time.

19 Get up, Lord! Don’t let people prevail!
    Let the nations be judged before you.
20 Strike them with fear, Lord.
    Let the nations know they are only human. Selah

Psalm 10[e]

10 Why do you stand so far away, Lord,
    hiding yourself in troubling times?
Meanwhile, the wicked are proudly
    in hot pursuit of those who suffer.
Let them get caught
    in the very same schemes they’ve thought up!

The wicked brag about their body’s[f] cravings;
    the greedy reject the Lord, cursing.
At the peak of their wrath,
    the wicked don’t seek God:
    There’s no God—
    that’s what they are always thinking.
Their ways are always twisted.
        Your rules are too lofty for them.
    They snort at all their foes.
    They think to themselves,
        We’ll never stumble.
        We’ll never encounter any resistance.
Their mouths are filled
        with curses, dishonesty, violence.
    Under their tongues lie
        troublemaking and wrongdoing.
They wait in a place perfect for ambush;[g]
    from their hiding places
    they kill innocent people;
    their eyes spot those who are helpless.
They lie in ambush
    in secret places,
    like a lion in its lair.
They lie in ambush
    so they can seize those who suffer!
They seize the poor, all right,
    dragging them off in their nets.
10 Their helpless victims are crushed;
    they collapse, falling prey to the strength of the wicked.
11 The wicked think to themselves:
    God has forgotten.
    God has hidden his face.
    God never sees anything!

12 Get up, Lord!
    Get your fist ready, God!
    Don’t forget the ones who suffer!
13 Why do the wicked reject God?
    Why do they think to themselves
        that you won’t find out?
14 But you do see!
    You do see troublemaking and grief,
    and you do something about it!
The helpless leave it all to you.
    You are the orphan’s helper.

15 Break the arms of those
    who are wicked and evil.
Seek out their wickedness
    until there’s no more to find.
16 The Lord rules forever and always!
    The nations will vanish from his land.

17 Lord, you listen to the desires of those who suffer.
    You steady their hearts;
you listen closely to them,
18     to establish justice
        for the orphan and the oppressed,
    so that people of the land
        will never again be terrified.

Psalm 11

For the music leader. Of David.

11 I have taken refuge in the Lord.
    So how can you say to me,[h]
    “Flee to the hills like a bird
        because the wicked
        have already bent their bows;
        they’ve already strung their arrows;
        they are ready to secretly shoot
        those whose heart is right”?
When the very bottom of things falls out,
    what can a righteous person possibly accomplish?

But the Lord is in his holy temple.
    The Lord! His throne is in heaven.
His eyes see—
    his vision examines all of humanity.
The Lord examines
    both the righteous and the wicked;
    his very being[i] hates anyone who loves violence.
God will rain fiery coals and sulfur on the wicked;
    their cups will be filled
    with nothing but a scorching hot wind
    because the Lord is righteous!
    He loves righteous deeds.
    Those whose heart is right will see God’s face.[j]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Ps 9 is an alphabetic acrostic poem (cf Ps 119) in Heb, with successive letters of the alphabet beginning every few lines, with only a few exceptions. Only ten letters are found in Ps 9; the sequence may be continued in Ps 10, suggesting that Pss 9–10 are a single poem.
  2. Psalm 9:1 Or Almuth labben; Heb uncertain, perhaps a reference to the melody; cf Pss 46:1; 48:14
  3. Psalm 9:16 Heb uncertain; or recitation (see Pss 1:2; 19:14) or melody (see Ps 92:3).
  4. Psalm 9:17 Heb Sheol
  5. Psalm 10:1 Pss 9 and 10 contain part of an acrostic poem and might originally be one poem in Heb.
  6. Psalm 10:3 Or soul’s
  7. Psalm 10:8 Heb uncertain
  8. Psalm 11:1 Or my soul
  9. Psalm 11:5 Or soul
  10. Psalm 11:7 Heb lacks heart, but see 11:2 and Pss 7:10; 32:11; 36:10.

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)

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