Psalm 9–10

Thanksgiving for Victory

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

9I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart.

I will tell all the miracles you have done.

²I will be happy because of you;

God Most High, I will sing praises to your name.

³My enemies turn back;

they are overwhelmed and die because of you.

⁴You have heard my complaint;

you sat on your throne and judged by what was right.

⁵You spoke strongly against the foreign nations and destroyed the wicked;

you wiped out their names forever and ever.

⁶The enemy is gone forever.

You destroyed their cities;

no one even remembers them.

⁷But the Lord rules forever.

He sits on his throne to judge,

⁸and he will judge the world in fairness;

he will decide what is fair for the nations.

⁹The Lord defends those who suffer;

he defends them in times of trouble.

¹⁰Those who know the Lord trust him,

because he will not leave those who come to him.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord who is king on Mount Zion.

Tell the nations what he has done.

¹²He remembers who the murderers are;

he will not forget the cries of those who suffer.

¹³Lord, have mercy on me.

See how my enemies hurt me.

Do not let me go through the gates of death.

¹⁴Then, at the gates of Jerusalem, I will praise you;

I will rejoice because you saved me.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they dug.

Their feet are caught in the nets they laid.

¹⁶The Lord has made himself known by his fair decisions;

the wicked get trapped by what they do.

Higgaion. Selah

¹⁷Wicked people will go to the grave,

and so will all those who forget God.

¹⁸But those who have troubles will not be forgotten.

The hopes of the poor will never die.

¹⁹Lord, rise up and judge the nations.

Don’t let people think they are strong.

²⁰Teach them to fear you, Lord.

The nations must learn that they are only human.

Selah

A Complaint About Evil People

10Lord, why are you so far away?

Why do you hide when there is trouble?

²Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer.

Let them be caught in their own traps.

³They brag about the things they want.

They bless the greedy but hate the Lord.

⁴The wicked people are too proud.

They do not look for God;

there is no room for God in their thoughts.

⁵They always succeed.

They are far from keeping your laws;

they make fun of their enemies.

⁶They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to me;

I will never be ruined.”

⁷Their mouths are full of curses, lies, and threats;

they use their tongues for sin and evil.

⁸They hide near the villages.

They look for innocent people to kill;

they watch in secret for the helpless.

⁹They wait in hiding like a lion.

They wait to catch poor people;

they catch the poor in nets.

¹⁰The poor are thrown down and crushed;

they are defeated because the others are stronger.

¹¹The wicked think, “God has forgotten us.

He doesn’t see what is happening.”

¹²Lord, rise up and punish the wicked.

Don’t forget those who need help.

¹³Why do wicked people hate God?

They say to themselves, “God won’t punish us.”

¹⁴Lord, surely you see these cruel and evil things;

look at them and do something.

People in trouble look to you for help.

You are the one who helps the orphans.

¹⁵Break the power of wicked people.

Punish them for the evil they have done.

¹⁶The Lord is King forever and ever.

Destroy from your land those nations that do not worship you.

¹⁷Lord, you have heard what the poor people want.

Do what they ask, and listen to them.

¹⁸Protect the orphans and put an end to suffering

so they will no longer be afraid of evil people.