Psalm 51a

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.c

1 Have mercyd on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;e

according to your great compassionf

blot outg my transgressions.h

2 Wash awayi all my iniquity

and cleansej me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.k

4 Against you, you only, have I sinnedl

and done what is evil in your sight;m

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.n

5 Surely I was sinfulo at birth,p

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdomq in that secret place.r

7 Cleanses me with hyssop,t and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.u

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;v

let the bonesw you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sinsx

and blot outy all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart,z O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.a

11 Do not cast meb from your presencec

or take your Holy Spiritd from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvatione

and grant me a willing spirit,f to sustain me.g

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,h

so that sinnersi will turn back to you.j

14 Deliver mek from the guilt of bloodshed,l O God,

you who are God my Savior,m

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.n

15 Open my lips, Lord,o

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice,p or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice,q O God, isb a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heartr

you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,s

to build up the walls of Jerusalem.t

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,u

in burnt offeringsv offered whole;

then bullsw will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 9a,b

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

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;e

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.f

2 I will be glad and rejoiceg in you;

I will sing the praisesh of your name,i O Most High.

3 My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

4 For you have upheld my rightj and my cause,k

sitting enthronedl as the righteous judge.m

5 You have rebuked the nationsn and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their nameo for ever and ever.

6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;p

even the memory of themq has perished.

7 The Lord reigns forever;r

he has established his thrones for judgment.

8 He rules the world in righteousnesst

and judges the peoples with equity.u

9 The Lord is a refugev for the oppressed,w

a stronghold in times of trouble.x

10 Those who know your namey trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsakenz those who seek you.a

11 Sing the praisesb of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;c

proclaim among the nationsd what he has done.e

12 For he who avenges bloodf remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.g

13 Lord, see how my enemiesh persecute me!

Have mercyi and lift me up from the gates of death,j

14 that I may declare your praisesk

in the gates of Daughter Zion,l

and there rejoice in your salvation.m

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;n

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.o

16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.c p

17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,q

all the nations that forget God.r

18 But God will never forget the needy;

the hopes of the afflictedt will never perish.

19 Arise,u Lord, do not let mortals triumph;v

let the nations be judgedw in your presence.

20 Strike them with terror,x Lord;

let the nations know they are only mortal.y

Psalm 10a

1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?z

Why do you hide yourselfa in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,b

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

3 He boastsc about the cravings of his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.d

4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;

in all his thoughts there is no room for God.e

5 His ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected byb him;

he sneers at all his enemies.

6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”

He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”f

7 His mouth is fullg of lies and threats;h

trouble and evil are under his tongue.i

8 He lies in waitj near the villages;

from ambush he murders the innocent.k

His eyes watch in secret for his victims;

9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.

He lies in wait to catch the helpless;l

he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.m

10 His victims are crushed,n they collapse;

they fall under his strength.

11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;o

he covers his face and never sees.”p

12 Arise,q Lord! Lift up your hand,r O God.

Do not forget the helpless.s

13 Why does the wicked man revile God?t

Why does he say to himself,

“He won’t call me to account”?u

14 But you, God, see the troublev of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;w

you are the helperx of the fatherless

Psalm 9a,b

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

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;e

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.f

2 I will be glad and rejoiceg in you;

I will sing the praisesh of your name,i O Most High.

3 My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

4 For you have upheld my rightj and my cause,k

sitting enthronedl as the righteous judge.m

5 You have rebuked the nationsn and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their nameo for ever and ever.

6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;p

even the memory of themq has perished.

7 The Lord reigns forever;r

he has established his thrones for judgment.

8 He rules the world in righteousnesst

and judges the peoples with equity.u

9 The Lord is a refugev for the oppressed,w

a stronghold in times of trouble.x

10 Those who know your namey trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsakenz those who seek you.a

11 Sing the praisesb of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;c

proclaim among the nationsd what he has done.e

12 For he who avenges bloodf remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.g

13 Lord, see how my enemiesh persecute me!

Have mercyi and lift me up from the gates of death,j

14 that I may declare your praisesk

in the gates of Daughter Zion,l

and there rejoice in your salvation.m

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;n

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.o

16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.c p

17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,q

all the nations that forget God.r

18 But God will never forget the needy;

the hopes of the afflictedt will never perish.

19 Arise,u Lord, do not let mortals triumph;v

let the nations be judgedw in your presence.

20 Strike them with terror,x Lord;

let the nations know they are only mortal.y