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.

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