Psalm 9-10

Common English Bible

³ When my enemies turn and retreat,
    they fall down and die right in front of you
⁴     because you have established justice
        for me and my claim,
    because you rule from the throne,
        establishing justice rightly.

⁵ You’ve denounced the nations,
    destroyed the wicked.
    You’ve erased their names for all time.
⁶ Every enemy is wiped out,
    like something ruined forever.
You’ve torn down their cities—
    even the memory of them is dead.

⁷ But the Lord rules forever!
    He assumes his throne
    for the sake of justice.
⁸ He will establish justice in the world rightly;
    he will judge all people fairly.
⁹ The Lord is a safe place for the oppressed—
    a safe place in difficult times.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust you
    because you have not abandoned
    any who seek you, Lord.

¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord, who lives in Zion!
    Proclaim his mighty acts among all people!
¹² Because the one who avenges bloodshed
    remembers those who suffer;
    the Lord hasn’t forgotten their cries for help.

¹³ Have mercy on me, Lord!
    Just look how I suffer
    because of those who hate me.
But you are the one who brings me back
    from the very gates of death
¹⁴         so I can declare all your praises,
        so I can rejoice in your salvation
        in the gates of Daughter Zion.

¹⁵ The nations have fallen
    into the hole they themselves made!
    Their feet are caught
        in the very net they themselves hid!
¹⁶ The Lord is famous for the justice he has done;
    it’s his own doing that the wicked are trapped. Higgayon.^[c] Selah

¹⁷ Let the wicked go straight to the grave,^[d]
    the same for every nation that forgets God.

¹⁸ Because the poor won’t be forgotten forever,
    the hope of those who suffer won’t be lost for all time.

¹⁹ Get up, Lord! Don’t let people prevail!
    Let the nations be judged before you.
²⁰ Strike them with fear, Lord.
    Let the nations know they are only human. Selah

³ The wicked brag about their body’s^[f] cravings;
    the greedy reject the Lord, cursing.
⁴ At the peak of their wrath,
    the wicked don’t seek God:
    There’s no God—
    that’s what they are always thinking.
⁵ Their ways are always twisted.
        Your rules are too lofty for them.
    They snort at all their foes.
⁶     They think to themselves,
        We’ll never stumble.
        We’ll never encounter any resistance.
⁷ Their mouths are filled
        with curses, dishonesty, violence.
    Under their tongues lie
        troublemaking and wrongdoing.
⁸ They wait in a place perfect for ambush;^[g]
    from their hiding places
    they kill innocent people;
    their eyes spot those who are helpless.
⁹ They lie in ambush
    in secret places,
    like a lion in its lair.
They lie in ambush
    so they can seize those who suffer!
They seize the poor, all right,
    dragging them off in their nets.
¹⁰ Their helpless victims are crushed;
    they collapse, falling prey to the strength of the wicked.
¹¹ The wicked think to themselves:
    God has forgotten.
    God has hidden his face.
    God never sees anything!

¹² Get up, Lord!
    Get your fist ready, God!
    Don’t forget the ones who suffer!
¹³ Why do the wicked reject God?
    Why do they think to themselves
        that you won’t find out?
¹⁴ But you do see!
    You do see troublemaking and grief,
    and you do something about it!
The helpless leave it all to you.
    You are the orphan’s helper.

¹⁵ Break the arms of those
    who are wicked and evil.
Seek out their wickedness
    until there’s no more to find.
¹⁶ The Lord rules forever and always!
    The nations will vanish from his land.

¹⁷ Lord, you listen to the desires of those who suffer.
    You steady their hearts;
you listen closely to them,
¹⁸     to establish justice
        for the orphan and the oppressed,
    so that people of the land
        will never again be terrified.