Add parallel Print Page Options

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.

I Will Recount Your Wonderful Deeds

[a] To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben.[b] A Psalm of David.

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

When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before[c] your presence.
For you have (E)maintained my just cause;
    you have (F)sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

You have (G)rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
    you have (H)blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
    their cities you rooted out;
    the very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
and he (I)judges the world with righteousness;
    he (J)judges the peoples with uprightness.

The Lord is (K)a stronghold for (L)the oppressed,
    a stronghold in (M)times of trouble.
10 And those who (N)know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who (O)sits enthroned in Zion!
    Tell among the peoples his (P)deeds!
12 For he who (Q)avenges blood is mindful of them;
    he (R)does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13 (S)Be gracious to me, O Lord!
    See my affliction from those who hate me,
    O you who lift me up from (T)the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
    that in the gates of (U)the daughter of Zion
    I may (V)rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk in (W)the pit that they made;
    in (X)the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself (Y)known; he has executed judgment;
    the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion.[d] Selah

17 The wicked shall (Z)return to Sheol,
    all the nations that (AA)forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
    and (AB)the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

19 (AC)Arise, O Lord! Let not (AD)man prevail;
    let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O Lord!
    Let the nations know that they are but (AE)men! Selah

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 together follow an acrostic pattern, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they form one psalm
  2. Psalm 9:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  3. Psalm 9:3 Or because of
  4. Psalm 9:16 Probably a musical or liturgical term