Psalm 8:1–9:20

¹Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in the whole earth!

You have made your glory

higher than the heavens.

²You have made sure that children

and infants praise you.

You have done it because of your enemies.

You have done it to put a stop to their talk.

³I think about the heavens.

I think about what your fingers have created.

I think about the moon and stars

that you have set in place.

⁴What is a human being that you think about him?

What is a son of man that you take care of him?

⁵You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings.

You placed on him a crown of glory and honor.

⁶You made human beings the rulers over all that your hands have created.

You put everything under their control.

⁷They rule over all flocks and herds

and over the wild animals.

⁸They rule over the birds of the air

and over the fish in the ocean.

They rule over everything that swims in the oceans.

⁹Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in the whole earth!

Psalm 9

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

¹Lord, I will praise you with all my heart.

I will tell about all of the miracles you have done.

²I will be glad and full of joy because of you.

Most High God, I will sing praise to you.

³My enemies turn back.

They fall down and die right in front of you.

⁴You have proved that I haven’t done anything wrong.

You have sat on your throne and judged fairly.

⁵You have punished the nations. You have destroyed evil people.

You have erased their names from your book for ever and ever.

⁶The enemy has been destroyed forever.

You have leveled their cities to the ground.

Even the memory of them is gone.

⁷The Lord rules forever.

He has set up his throne so that he can judge people.

⁸He will judge the world in keeping with what is right.

He will rule over all of its people fairly.

⁹The Lord is a place of safety for those who have been beaten down.

He keeps them safe in times of trouble.

¹⁰Lord, those who know you will trust in you.

You have never deserted those who look to you.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord. He rules from his throne in Zion.

Tell among the nations what he has done.

¹²The One who pays back murderers remembers.

He doesn’t forget the cries of those who are hurting.

¹³Lord, see how badly my enemies treat me!

Show me your favor. Don’t let me go down to the gates of death.

¹⁴Then I can give praise to you

at the gates of the city of Zion.

There I will be full of joy

because you have saved me.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug.

Their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

¹⁶The Lord is known to be fair.

Evil people are trapped by what they have done. Higgaion. Selah

¹⁷Sinful people go down to the grave.

So do all the nations that forget God.

¹⁸But those who are in need will always be remembered.

The hope of those who are hurting will never die.

¹⁹Lord, rise up. Don’t let people win the battle.

Let the nations come to you and be judged.

²⁰Lord, strike them with terror.

Let the nations know they are only human. Selah