Psalm 9

Celebration of God’s Justice

For the choir director: according to Muth-labben.[a] A Davidic psalm.

I will thank Yahweh with all my heart;
I will declare all Your wonderful works.(A)
I will rejoice and boast about You;(B)
I will sing about Your name, Most High.(C)

When my enemies retreat,
they stumble and perish before You.(D)
For You have upheld my just cause;[b](E)
You are seated on Your throne as a righteous judge.(F)
You have rebuked the nations:(G)
You have destroyed the wicked;(H)
You have erased their name forever and ever.(I)
The enemy has come to eternal ruin;
You have uprooted the cities,
and the very memory of them has perished.(J)

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;(K)
He has established His throne for judgment.(L)
He judges the world with righteousness;
He executes judgment on the nations with fairness.(M)
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.(N)
10 Those who know Your name trust in You
because You have not abandoned
those who seek You, Yahweh.(O)

11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;(P)
proclaim His deeds among the nations.(Q)
12 For the One who seeks an accounting
for bloodshed remembers them;(R)
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.(S)

13 Be gracious to me, Lord;
consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.(T)
Lift me up from the gates of death,(U)
14 so that I may declare all Your praises.
I will rejoice in Your salvation(V)
within the gates of Daughter Zion.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made;
their foot is caught in the net they have concealed.(W)
16 The Lord has revealed Himself;
He has executed justice,(X)
striking down[c] the wicked[d]
by the work of their hands.(Y)Higgaion. Selah

17 The wicked will return to Sheol(Z)
all the nations that forget God.(AA)
18 For the oppressed will not always be forgotten;
the hope of the afflicted[e] will not perish forever.(AB)

19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let man prevail;
let the nations be judged in Your presence.(AC)
20 Put terror in them, Lord;(AD)
let the nations know they are only men.(AE)Selah

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Perhaps a musical term
  2. Psalm 9:4 Lit my justice and my cause
  3. Psalm 9:16 Or justice, snaring
  4. Psalm 9:16 LXX, Aq, Syr, Tg read justice, the wicked is trapped
  5. Psalm 9:18 Alt Hb tradition reads humble

To the Director: Accompanied by female voices.[a] A Davidic Psalm.

A Cry for God’s Justice

[b]I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
    I will declare all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praises to your name, Most High!

When my enemies turn back,
    they will stumble and perish before you.
For you have brought about justice for me and my cause;
    you sit on the throne judging righteously.
You rebuked the nations,
    you destroyed the wicked,
        you wiped out their name forever and ever.
The enemy has perished,
    reduced to ruins forever.
You uprooted their cities,
    the very memory of them vanished.

But the Lord sits on his throne[c] forever;
    his throne is established for judgment.
He will judge the world righteously
    and make just decisions for the people.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a refuge in times of distress.
10 Those who know your name will trust you,
    for you have not forsaken those who seek you, Lord.

11 Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion;
    declare his mighty deeds among the peoples.
12 As an avenger of blood, he remembers them;
    he has not forgotten the cry of the afflicted.

13 Be gracious to me, Lord,
    take note of my affliction,
        because of those who hate me.
You snatch me away from the gates of death,
14 so I may declare everything for which you should be praised[d]
in the gates of the daughter of Zion,[e]
    so I will rejoice in your deliverance.

15 The nations have sunk down into the pit they made,
    their feet are ensnared in the trap[f] they set.
16 The Lord has made himself known,
    executing judgment.
The wicked are ensnared
    by what their hands have made.
Interlude[g]

17 The wicked will turn back to where the dead are[h]
    all the nations that have forgotten God.
18 For he will not always overlook the plight of the poor,
    nor will the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 Rise up, Lord,
    do not let man prevail!
        The nations will be judged in your presence.
20 Make them afraid, Lord,
    Let the nations know that they are only human.[i]
Interlude

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Or according to the tune ‘Death of a Son’
  2. Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 & 10 constitute a single psalm in the LXX.
  3. Psalm 9:7 The Heb. lacks on his throne
  4. Psalm 9:14 Lit. declare all your praise
  5. Psalm 9:14 I.e. Jerusalem
  6. Psalm 9:15 Lit. net
  7. Psalm 9:16 Heb. Higgaion Selah
  8. Psalm 9:17 Lit. to Sheol; a reference to the realm of the dead
  9. Psalm 9:20 Or men