Add parallel Print Page Options

Psalm 9[a]

Thanksgiving for Victory and Prayer for Justice

For the leader; according to Muth Labben.[b] A psalm of David.

I

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will delight and rejoice in you;
    I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before you.

II

For you upheld my right and my cause,
    seated on your throne, judging justly.
You rebuked the nations, you destroyed the wicked;
    their name you blotted out for all time.(A)
The enemies have been ruined forever;
    you destroyed their cities;
    their memory has perished.

III

The Lord rules forever,
    has set up his throne for judgment.
It is he who judges the world with justice,(B)
    who judges the peoples with fairness.
10 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.(C)
11 Those who know your name trust in you;
    you never forsake those who seek you, Lord.

IV

12 Sing hymns to the Lord enthroned on Zion;
    proclaim his deeds among the nations!
13 For the avenger of bloodshed remembers,
    does not forget the cry of the afflicted.(D)

V

14 Be gracious to me, Lord;
    see how my foes afflict me!
    You alone can raise me from the gates of death.(E)
15 Then I will declare all your praises,
    sing joyously of your salvation
    in the gates of daughter Zion.[c]

VI

16 The nations fall into the pit they dig;
    in the snare they hide, their own foot is caught.
17 [d]The Lord is revealed in making judgments:
    by the deeds they do the wicked are trapped.(F)
Higgaion. Selah

VII

18 To Sheol the wicked will depart,
    all the nations that forget God.
19 For the needy will never be forgotten,
    nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.(G)
20 Arise, Lord, let no mortal prevail;
    let the nations be judged in your presence.
21 Strike them with terror, Lord;
    show the nations they are only human.
Selah

Footnotes

  1. Psalms 9–10 Ps 9 and Ps 10 in the Hebrew text have been transmitted as separate poems but they actually form a single acrostic poem and are so transmitted in the Greek and Latin tradition. Each verse of the two Psalms begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (though several letters have no corresponding stanza). The Psalm states loosely connected themes: the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies, God’s worldwide judgment and rule over the nations, the psalmist’s own concern for rescue (Ps 9:14–15).
  2. 9:1 Muth Labben: probably the melodic accompaniment of the Psalm, now lost.
  3. 9:15 Daughter Zion: an ancient Near Eastern city could sometimes be personified as a woman or a queen, the spouse of the god of the city.
  4. 9:17 The Lord is revealed in making judgments: God has so made the universe that the wicked are punished by the very actions they perform. Selah: see note on Ps 3:3.

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.