Psalm 9–10

Psalm 9¹

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

^*I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;^a

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.^b

I will be glad and rejoice^c in you;

I will sing the praises^d of your name,^e O Most High.

My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

For you have upheld my right^f and my cause,^g

sitting enthroned^h as the righteous judge.ⁱ

You have rebuked the nations^j and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name^k for ever and ever.

Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;^l

even the memory of them^m has perished.

The Lord reigns forever;ⁿ

he has established his throne^o for judgment.

He rules the world in righteousness^p

and judges the peoples with equity.^q

The Lord is a refuge^r for the oppressed,^s

a stronghold in times of trouble.^t

Those who know your name^u trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken^v those who seek you.^w

Sing the praises^x of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;^y

proclaim among the nations^z what he has done.^a

For he who avenges blood^b remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.^c

Lord, see how my enemies^d persecute me!

Have mercy^e and lift me up from the gates of death,^f

that I may declare your praises^g

in the gates of Daughter Zion,^h

and there rejoice in your salvation.ⁱ

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;^j

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.^k

The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.^l

The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,^m

all the nations that forget God.ⁿ

But God will never forget the needy;

the hope^o of the afflicted^p will never perish.

Arise,^q Lord, do not let mortals triumph;^r

let the nations be judged^s in your presence.

Strike them with terror,^t Lord;

let the nations know they are only mortals.^u

Psalm 10¹

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?^a

Why do you hide yourself^b in times of trouble?

In their arrogance the wicked hunt down the weak,^c

catching them in the schemes they devise.

They boast^d about the cravings of their hearts;

they bless the greedy and revile the Lord.^e

In their pride the wicked do not seek him;

in all their thoughts there is no room for God.^f

Their ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected by them;

they sneer at all their enemies.

They say to themselves, “Nothing will ever shake us.”

They swear, “No one will ever do us harm.”^g

Their mouths are full^h of lies and threats;ⁱ

trouble and evil are under their tongues.^j

They lie in wait^k near the villages;

from ambush they murder the innocent.^l

Their eyes watch in secret for their victims;

like a lion in cover they lie in wait.

They lie in wait to catch the helpless;^m

they catch the helpless and drag them off in their nets.ⁿ

^⌈The innocent^⌈ are crushed,^o they collapse;

they fall victim to superior strength.

The wicked say to themselves, “God will never notice;^p

he covers his face and never sees.”^q

Arise,^r Lord! Lift up your hand,^s O God.

Do not forget the helpless.^t

Why do the wicked revile God?^u

Why do they say to themselves,

“He won’t call us to account”?^v

But you, God, see the trouble^w of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;^x

you are the helper^y of the fatherless.

Break the arms of the wicked and the evildoers;^z

call them to account for their wickedness

that would not otherwise be found out.

The Lord is King for ever and ever;^a

the nations^b will perish from his land.

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;^c

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,^d

defending the fatherless^e and the oppressed,^f

so that mere earthly mortals

will never again strike terror.