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(A psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “The Death of the Son.”)

Sing Praises to the Lord

I will praise you, Lord,
    with all my heart
and tell about the wonders
    you have worked.
God Most High, I will rejoice;
I will celebrate and sing
    because of you.

When my enemies face you,
they run away and stumble
    and are destroyed.
You take your seat as judge,
and your fair decisions prove
    that I was in the right.
You warn the nations
    and destroy evil people;
you wipe out their names
    forever and ever.
Our enemies are destroyed
    completely for all time.
Their cities are torn down,
and they will never
    be remembered again.

You rule forever, Lord,
and you are on your throne,
    ready for judgment.
You judge the world fairly
and treat all nations
    with justice.
The poor can run to you
because you are a fortress
    in times of trouble.
10 Everyone who honors your name
    can trust you,
because you are faithful
    to all who depend on you.

11 You rule from Zion, Lord,
    and we sing about you
to let the nations know
    everything you have done.
12 You did not forget
    to punish the guilty
or listen to the cries
    of those in need.

13 (A) Please have mercy, Lord!
    My enemies mistreat me.
Keep me from the gates
    that lead to death,
14 and I will sing about you
    at the gate to Zion.
I will be happy there
    because you rescued me.

15 (B) Our Lord, the nations fell
    into their own pits,
and their feet were caught
    in their own traps.
16 You showed what you are like,
and you made certain
    that justice is done,
but evil people are trapped
    by their own evil deeds.
17 The wicked will go down
    to the world of the dead
to be with those nations
    that forgot about you.

18 The poor and the homeless
won't always be forgotten
    and without hope.

19 Do something, Lord!
    Don't let the nations win.
Make them stand trial
    in your court of law.
20 Make the nations afraid
and let them all discover
    just how weak they are.

Psalm 9[a][b]

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

I will give thanks to 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)
10 Those who know your name(U) trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken(V) those who seek you.(W)

11 Sing the praises(X) of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;(Y)
    proclaim among the nations(Z) what he has done.(AA)
12 For he who avenges blood(AB) remembers;
    he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.(AC)

13 Lord, see how my enemies(AD) persecute me!
    Have mercy(AE) and lift me up from the gates of death,(AF)
14 that I may declare your praises(AG)
    in the gates of Daughter Zion,(AH)
    and there rejoice in your salvation.(AI)

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;(AJ)
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.(AK)
16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.[c](AL)
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,(AM)
    all the nations that forget God.(AN)
18 But God will never forget the needy;
    the hope(AO) of the afflicted(AP) will never perish.

19 Arise,(AQ) Lord, do not let mortals triumph;(AR)
    let the nations be judged(AS) in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror,(AT) Lord;
    let the nations know they are only mortal.(AU)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
  2. Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.
  3. Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.