Psalms 9

I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

1I will thank you, LORD, with my whole heart. I will tell about all the wonderful things you have done.

2I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

2I will be glad and full of joy because of you. I will sing to your name, Most High God.

3When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.

3When my enemies run away, they trip and fall. They are finished when you come near.

4For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.

4You stood up for me and said I was right. You sit on your throne and judge fairly.

5Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

5You spoke against the nations. You destroyed people who did evil. You wiped their names away forever.

NoteThe old word "heathen" here simply means the other nations, the peoples around Israel.

6O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.

6The enemy is ruined for good. You pulled down their cities. Nobody even remembers them now.

7But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

7But the LORD goes on forever. He has set up his throne to judge.

8And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

8He will judge the whole world fairly. He will treat people in a right and even way.

9The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

9The LORD is a safe place for people who are pushed down. He keeps them safe in hard times.

10And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

10People who know your name trust you. LORD, you never leave the people who look for you.

11Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

11Sing to the LORD, who lives in Zion, his city. Tell all people what he has done.

12When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

12God pays attention when people are killed. He remembers those who are hurt. He hears them crying.

13Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

13Be kind to me, LORD. See how people who hate me hurt me. You lift me up when I am close to dying.

14That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

14Then I can tell everyone how good you are. Inside the gates of Zion I will be glad you saved me.

15The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

15The nations fell into the hole they dug themselves. Their own feet were caught in the net they hid.

16The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

16People know the LORD by the fair way he judges. Evil people get trapped by what their own hands made. Higgaion. Selah.

Note"Higgaion" and "Selah" are old music words written into the song. We are not sure what they told the singers to do.

17The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

17Evil people will go down to the place of the dead. So will every nation that forgets God.

NoteThe KJV says "hell" here. The word in the old Hebrew is Sheol, which means the place where dead people go.

18For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

18God will not forget needy people forever. Poor people are hoping, and their hope will not be lost.

19Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

19Get up, LORD. Do not let people win against you. Judge the nations right in front of you.

20Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

20Make them afraid, LORD. Then the nations will know they are only people. Selah.