Tag: Pursue

Today’s Scripture: Psalm 9 and 10 (S.O.A.P. Psalm 9:10)

Psalm 9 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Death of the Son.”

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
² I will be filled with joy because of you.
    I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

³ My enemies retreated;
    they staggered and died when you appeared.
⁴ For you have judged in my favor;
    from your throne you have judged with fairness.
⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have erased their names forever.
⁶ The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
    the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.

⁷ But the Lord reigns forever,
    executing judgment from his throne.
⁸ He will judge the world with justice
    and rule the nations with fairness.
⁹ The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.^[a]
    Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
¹² For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
    He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

¹³ Lord, have mercy on me.
    See how my enemies torment me.
    Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
¹⁴ Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
    so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

¹⁵ The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
    Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
¹⁶ The Lord is known for his justice.
    The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude^[b]

¹⁷ The wicked will go down to the grave.^[c]
    This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
¹⁸ But the needy will not be ignored forever;
    the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

¹⁹ Arise, O Lord!
    Do not let mere mortals defy you!
    Judge the nations!
²⁰ Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.
    Let the nations know they are merely human. Interlude

Psalm 10

O Lord, why do you stand so far away?
    Why do you hide when I am in trouble?
² The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.
    Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
³ For they brag about their evil desires;
    they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

⁴ The wicked are too proud to seek God.
    They seem to think that God is dead.
⁵ Yet they succeed in everything they do.
    They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
    They sneer at all their enemies.
⁶ They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
    We will be free of trouble forever!”

⁷ Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.^[d]
    Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
⁸ They lurk in ambush in the villages,
    waiting to murder innocent people.
    They are always searching for helpless victims.
⁹ Like lions crouched in hiding,
    they wait to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture the helpless
    and drag them away in nets.
¹⁰ Their helpless victims are crushed;
    they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
¹¹ The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!
    He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

¹² Arise, O Lord!
    Punish the wicked, O God!
    Do not ignore the helpless!
¹³ Why do the wicked get away with despising God?
    They think, “God will never call us to account.”
¹⁴ But you see the trouble and grief they cause.
    You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
    You defend the orphans.

¹⁵ Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
    Go after them until the last one is destroyed.
¹⁶ The Lord is king forever and ever!
    The godless nations will vanish from the land.
¹⁷ Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.
    Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.
¹⁸ You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
    so mere people can no longer terrify them.