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Psalm 9
The Voice
Psalm 9
The Voice
Psalm 9[a]
For the worship leader. A song of David to the tune “Death of a Son.”[b]
In the Hebrew manuscripts, Psalms 9 and 10 work as a unit because together they form an acrostic poem, meaning each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This literary device has several functions. First, it provides a mnemonic device for easier memorization. Second, it is inherently beautiful; the rigid structure is a showcase for the author’s literary talents. Finally, it conveys the idea of completion by describing the reasons God is to be praised “from A to Z.” Psalm 9 offers David’s thanks and praise to God for defeating his enemies. Psalm 10, on the other hand, is a lament complaining that God is far off while the poor and helpless suffer.
1 All my heart will give thanks to You, Eternal One.
I will tell others about Your amazing works.
2 I will be glad and celebrate You!
I will praise You, O Most High!
3 When my adversaries turned and fled,
they fell and died right in front of You,
4 For You supported my just cause.
From Your throne, You have judged wisely.
5 You confronted the nations; You have destroyed the wicked.
You have erased their names from history.
6 The enemy is finished, their time is up;
their cities will lie in ruin forever;
all memory of them is gone.
7 Still the Eternal remains and will reign forever;
He has taken His place on His throne for judgment.
8 So He will judge the world rightly.
He shall execute that judgment equally on all people.
9 For the Eternal will be a shelter for those who know misery,
a refuge during troubling times.
10 Those who know Your name will rely on You,
for You, O Eternal One, have not abandoned those who search for You.
11 Praise Him who lives on Zion’s holy hill.
Tell the story of His great acts among the people!
12 For He remembers the victims of violence and avenges their blood;
He does not turn a deaf ear to the cry of the needy.
13 Be gracious to me, O Eternal One.
Notice the harm I have suffered because of my enemies,
You who carry me safely away from death’s door,
14 So that I may rehearse Your deeds, declare Your praise,
and rejoice in Your rescue
when I take my stand in the gates of Zion.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others,
their own feet caught, snared by the net they hid.
16 The Eternal is well known, for He has taken action and secured justice;
He has trapped the wicked through the work of their own hands.
[pause with music][c]
17 The wicked are headed for death and the grave;
all the nations who forget the True God will share a similar fate.
18 For those in need shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor will never die.
19 Eternal One, arise! Do not allow mere mortals to win the day.
Judge the nations Yourself.
20 Put the fear of God in them, Eternal One!
Remind the nations they are mere men, not gods.
[pause][d]
Footnotes
- Psalm 9 Psalms 9–10 were originally a single acrostic poem.
- 9:title Hebrew, muth-labben, perhaps the melody to which the song is sung
- 9:16 Hebrew, higgaion selah, meaning is uncertain, possibly a musical direction
- 9:20 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”
Psalm 9
New International Version
Psalm 9
New International Version
Psalm 9[a][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;(A)
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.(B)
2 I will be glad and rejoice(C) in you;
I will sing the praises(D) of your name,(E) O Most High.
3 My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
4 For you have upheld my right(F) and my cause,(G)
sitting enthroned(H) as the righteous judge.(I)
5 You have rebuked the nations(J) and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name(K) for ever and ever.
6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;(L)
even the memory of them(M) has perished.
7 The Lord reigns forever;(N)
he has established his throne(O) for judgment.
8 He rules the world in righteousness(P)
and judges the peoples with equity.(Q)
9 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.
Footnotes
- 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.
- Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.
- Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.
The Voice (VOICE)
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