Psalms 9-11

Psalm 9

¹To the chief music-maker on Muthlabben. A Psalm. Of David. I will give you praise, O Lord, with all my heart; I will make clear all the wonder of your works.

²I will be glad and have delight in you: I will make a song of praise to your name, O Most High.

³When my haters are turned back, they will be broken and overcome before you.

⁴For you gave approval to my right and my cause; you were seated in your high place judging in righteousness.

⁵You have said sharp words to the nations, you have sent destruction on the sinners, you have put an end to their name for ever and ever.

⁶You have given their towns to destruction; the memory of them has gone; they have become waste for ever.

⁷But the Lord is King for ever: he has made ready his high seat for judging.

⁸And he will be the judge of the world in righteousness, giving true decisions for the peoples.

⁹The Lord will be a high tower for those who are crushed down, a high tower in times of trouble;

¹⁰And those who have knowledge of your name will put their faith in you; because you, Lord, have ever given your help to those who were waiting for you.

¹¹Make songs of praise to the Lord, whose house is in Zion: make his doings clear to the people.

¹²When he makes search for blood, he has them in his memory: he is not without thought for the cry of the poor.

¹³Have mercy on me, O Lord, and see how I am troubled by my haters; let me be lifted up from the doors of death;

¹⁴So that I may make clear all your praise in the house of the daughter of Zion: I will be glad because of your salvation.

¹⁵The nations have gone down into the hole which they made: in their secret net is their foot taken.

¹⁶The Lord has given knowledge of himself through his judging: the evil-doer is taken in the net which his hands had made. (Higgaion. Selah.)

¹⁷The sinners and all the nations who have no memory of God will be turned into the underworld.

¹⁸For the poor will not be without help; the hopes of those in need will not be crushed for ever.

¹⁹Up! O Lord; let not man overcome you: let the nations be judged before you.

²⁰Put them in fear, O Lord, so that the nations may see that they are only men. (Selah.)

Psalm 10

¹Why do you keep far away, O Lord? why are you not to be seen in times of trouble?

²The evil-doer in his pride is cruel to the poor; let him be taken by the tricks of his invention.

³For the evil-doer is lifted up because of the purpose of his heart, and he whose mind is fixed on wealth is turned away from the Lord, saying evil against him.

⁴The evil-doer in his pride says, God will not make a search. All his thoughts are, There is no God.

⁵His ways are ever fixed; your decisions are higher than he may see: as for his haters, they are as nothing to him.

⁶He has said in his heart, I will not be moved: through all generations I will never be in trouble.

⁷His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and false words: under his tongue are evil purposes and dark thoughts.

⁸He is waiting in the dark places of the towns: in the secret places he puts to death those who have done no wrong: his eyes are secretly turned against the poor.

⁹He keeps himself in a secret place like a lion in his hole, waiting to put his hands on the poor man, and pulling him into his net.

¹⁰The upright are crushed and made low, and the feeble are overcome by his strong ones.

¹¹He says in his heart, God has no memory of me: his face is turned away; he will never see it.

¹²Up! O Lord; let your hand be lifted: give thought to the poor.

¹³Why has the evil-doer a low opinion of God, saying in his heart, You will not make search for it?

¹⁴You have seen it; for your eyes are on sorrow and grief, to take it into your hand: the poor man puts his faith in you; you have been the helper of the child who has no father.

¹⁵Let the arm of the sinner and the evil-doer be broken; go on searching for his sin till there is no more.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations are gone from his land.

¹⁷Lord, you have given ear to the prayer of the poor: you will make strong their hearts, you will give them a hearing:

¹⁸To give decision for the child without a father and for the broken-hearted, so that the man of the earth may no longer be feared.

Psalm 11

¹For the chief music-maker. Of David. In the Lord put I my faith; how will you say to my soul, Go in flight like a bird to the mountain?

²See, the bows of the evil-doers are bent, they make ready their arrows on the cord, so that they may send them secretly against the upright in heart.

³If the bases are broken down, what is the upright man to do?

⁴The Lord is in his holy Temple, the Lord's seat is in heaven; his eyes are watching and testing the children of men.

⁵The Lord puts the upright and the sinner to the test, but he has hate in his soul for the lover of violent acts.

⁶On the evil-doer he will send down fire and flames, and a burning wind; with these will their cup be full.

⁷For the Lord is upright; he is a lover of righteousness: the upright will see his face.