Psalm 9–10

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

Psalm 10

¹Lord, why are you so far away?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

²An evil person is proud and hunts down those who are weak.

He catches weak people by making clever plans.

³He brags about what his heart longs for.

He speaks well of those who always want more.

He attacks the Lord with his words.

⁴Because he is proud, that evil person doesn’t turn to the Lord.

There is no room for God in any of his thoughts.

⁵Everything always goes well for him.

So he is proud.

He doesn’t want to have anything to do with God’s laws.

He makes fun of all of his enemies.

⁶He says to himself, “I will always be secure.

I will always be happy. I’ll never have any trouble.”

⁷His mouth is full of curses and lies and warnings.

With his tongue he speaks evil and makes trouble.

⁸Sinful people hide and wait near the villages.

From their hiding places they murder those who aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong.

They watch in secret for those they want to attack.

⁹They hide and wait like a lion in the bushes.

From their hiding places they wait to catch those who are helpless.

They catch them and drag them off in their nets.

¹⁰Those they have attacked are beaten up. They fall to the ground.

They fall because their attackers are too strong for them.

¹¹Sinful people say to themselves, “God doesn’t pay any attention.

He covers his face. He never sees us.”

¹²Lord, rise up! God, show your power!

Don’t forget those who are helpless.

¹³Why do sinful people attack you with their words?

Why do they say to themselves,

“He won’t hold us accountable”?

¹⁴God, you see trouble and sadness.

You take note of it. You do something about it.

So those who are attacked place themselves in your care.

You help children whose fathers have died.

¹⁵Take away the power of bad and sinful people.

Hold them accountable for the evil things they do.

Uncover all the evil they have done.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever.

The nations will disappear from his land.

¹⁷Lord, you hear the longings of those who are hurting.

You cheer them up and give them hope.

You listen to their cries.

¹⁸You stand up for those whose fathers have died

and for those who have been beaten down.

You do it so that no one made of dust

may terrify others anymore.