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Historical

Read the books of the Bible as they were written historically, according to the estimated date of their writing.

Duration: 365 days

Psalm 9-16

Psalm 9^[a]

Thanksgiving for Victory and Prayer for Justice

¹For the leader; according to Muth Labben.^[b] A psalm of David.

I

²I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
³I will delight and rejoice in you;
    I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
⁴When my enemies turn back,
    they stumble and perish before you.

II

⁵For you upheld my right and my cause,
    seated on your throne, judging justly.
⁶You rebuked the nations, you destroyed the wicked;
    their name you blotted out for all time.^(A)
⁷The enemies have been ruined forever;
    you destroyed their cities;
    their memory has perished.

III

⁸The Lord rules forever,
    has set up his throne for judgment.
⁹It is he who judges the world with justice,^(B)
    who judges the peoples with fairness.
¹⁰The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.^(C)
¹¹Those who know your name trust in you;
    you never forsake those who seek you, Lord.

IV

¹²Sing hymns to the Lord enthroned on Zion;
proclaim his deeds among the nations!
¹³For the avenger of bloodshed remembers,
does not forget the cry of the afflicted.^(D)

V

¹⁴Be gracious to me, Lord;
    see how my foes afflict me!
    You alone can raise me from the gates of death.^(E)
¹⁵Then I will declare all your praises,
    sing joyously of your salvation
    in the gates of daughter Zion.^[c]

VI

¹⁶The nations fall into the pit they dig;
in the snare they hide, their own foot is caught.
¹⁷^[d]The Lord is revealed in making judgments:
by the deeds they do the wicked are trapped.^(F)
Higgaion. Selah

VII

¹⁸To Sheol the wicked will depart,
    all the nations that forget God.
¹⁹For the needy will never be forgotten,
    nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.^(G)
²⁰Arise, Lord, let no mortal prevail;
    let the nations be judged in your presence.
²¹Strike them with terror, Lord;
    show the nations they are only human.
Selah

Psalm 10

I

¹Why, Lord, do you stand afar
and pay no heed in times of trouble?
²Arrogant scoundrels pursue the poor;
they trap them by their cunning schemes.^(H)

II

³The wicked even boast of their greed;
    these robbers curse and scorn the Lord.^(I)
⁴In their insolence the wicked boast:
    “God does not care; there is no God.”^(J)
⁵    Yet their affairs always succeed;
    they ignore your judgment on high;
    they sneer at all who oppose them.
⁶They say in their hearts, “We will never fall;
    never will we see misfortune.”
⁷Their mouths are full of oaths, violence, and lies;
    discord and evil are under their tongues.^(K)
⁸They wait in ambush near towns;
    their eyes watch for the helpless
    to murder the innocent in secret.^(L)
⁹They lurk in ambush like lions in a thicket,
    hide there to trap the poor,
    snare them and close the net.^(M)
¹⁰The helpless are crushed, laid low;
    they fall into the power of the wicked,
¹¹Who say in their hearts, “God has forgotten,
    shows no concern, never bothers to look.”^(N)

III

¹²Rise up, Lord! God, lift up your hand!
    Do not forget the poor!
¹³Why should the wicked scorn God,
    say in their hearts, “God does not care”?
¹⁴But you do see;
    you take note of misery and sorrow;^(O)
    you take the matter in hand.
To you the helpless can entrust their cause;
    you are the defender of orphans.^(P)
¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and depraved;
    make them account for their crimes;
    let none of them survive.

IV

¹⁶The Lord is king forever;^(Q)
    the nations have vanished from his land.
¹⁷You listen, Lord, to the needs of the poor;
    you strengthen their heart and incline your ear.
¹⁸You win justice for the orphaned and oppressed;^(R)
    no one on earth will cause terror again.

Psalm 11^[e]

Confidence in the Presence of God

¹For the leader. Of David.

I

In the Lord I take refuge;
    how can you say to me,
    “Flee like a bird to the mountains!^(S)
²See how the wicked string their bows,
    fit their arrows to the string
    to shoot from the shadows at the upright of heart.^(T)
³^[f]If foundations are destroyed,
    what can the just one do?”

II

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord’s throne is in heaven.^(U)
God’s eyes keep careful watch;
    they test the children of Adam.
⁵The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
    hates those who love violence,
⁶And rains upon the wicked
    fiery coals and brimstone,
    a scorching wind their allotted cup.^[g]^(V)
⁷The Lord is just and loves just deeds;
    the upright will see his face.

Psalm 12^[h]

Prayer Against Evil Tongues

¹For the leader; “upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.

I

²Help, Lord, for no one loyal remains;
the faithful have vanished from the children of men.^(W)
³They tell lies to one another,
speak with deceiving lips and a double heart.^(X)

II

⁴May the Lord cut off all deceiving lips,
and every boastful tongue,
⁵Those who say, “By our tongues we prevail;
when our lips speak, who can lord it over us?”^(Y)

III

⁶“Because they rob the weak, and the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will grant safety to whoever longs for it.”^(Z)

IV

⁷The promises of the Lord are sure,
    silver refined in a crucible,^[i]
    silver purified seven times.^(AA)
⁸You, O Lord, protect us always;
    preserve us from this generation.
⁹On every side the wicked roam;
    the shameless are extolled by the children of men.

Psalm 13^[j]

Prayer for Help

¹For the leader. A psalm of David.

I

²How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me?
    How long will you hide your face from me?^(AB)
³How long must I carry sorrow in my soul,
    grief in my heart day after day?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

II

⁴Look upon me, answer me, Lord, my God!
Give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death,
⁵Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed,”
lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.^(AC)

III

⁶But I trust in your mercy.
Grant my heart joy in your salvation,
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has dealt bountifully with me!^(AD)

Psalm 14^[k]

A Lament over Widespread Corruption

¹For the leader. Of David.

I

The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
    not one does what is good.^(AE)
²The Lord looks down from heaven
    upon the children of men,^(AF)
To see if even one is wise,
    if even one seeks God.^(AG)
³All have gone astray;
    all alike are perverse.
Not one does what is good,
    not even one.^(AH)

II

⁴Will these evildoers never learn?
    They devour my people as they devour bread;^(AI)
    they do not call upon the Lord.^(AJ)
⁵They have good reason, then, to fear;
    God is with the company of the just.
⁶They would crush the hopes of the poor,
    but the poor have the Lord as their refuge.

III

⁷^(AK)Oh, that from Zion might come
the salvation of Israel!
Jacob would rejoice, and Israel be glad
when the Lord restores his people!^[l]

Psalm 15^[m]

The Righteous Israelite

¹^(AL)A psalm of David.

I

Lord, who may abide in your tent?^[n]
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?

II

²Whoever walks without blame,^(AM)
    doing what is right,
    speaking truth from the heart;
³Who does not slander with his tongue,
    does no harm to a friend,
    never defames a neighbor;
⁴Who disdains the wicked,
    but honors those who fear the Lord;
    Who keeps an oath despite the cost,
⁵    lends no money at interest,^[o]
    accepts no bribe against the innocent.^(AN)

III

Whoever acts like this
shall never be shaken.

Psalm 16^[p]

God the Supreme Good

¹^(AO)A miktam^[q] of David.

I

Keep me safe, O God;
    in you I take refuge.
²I say to the Lord,
    you are my Lord,
    you are my only good.
³As for the holy ones who are in the land,
    they are noble,
    in whom is all my delight.
⁴^[r]They multiply their sorrows
    who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
    nor will I take their names upon my lips.
⁵Lord, my allotted portion and my cup,
    you have made my destiny secure.^(AP)
⁶^[s]Pleasant places were measured out for me;
    fair to me indeed is my inheritance.

II

⁷I bless the Lord who counsels me;
    even at night my heart exhorts me.
⁸I keep the Lord always before me;
    with him at my right hand, I shall never be shaken.^(AQ)
⁹Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices;
    my body also dwells secure,
¹⁰For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    nor let your devout one see the pit.^[t]^(AR)
¹¹You will show me the path to life,
    abounding joy in your presence,
    the delights at your right hand forever.

Footnotes

Psalms 9–10 Ps 9 and Ps 10 in the Hebrew text have been transmitted as separate poems but they actually form a single acrostic poem and are so transmitted in the Greek and Latin tradition. Each verse of the two Psalms begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (though several letters have no corresponding stanza). The Psalm states loosely connected themes: the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies, God’s worldwide judgment and rule over the nations, the psalmist’s own concern for rescue (Ps 9:14–15).
9:1 Muth Labben: probably the melodic accompaniment of the Psalm, now lost.
9:15 Daughter Zion: an ancient Near Eastern city could sometimes be personified as a woman or a queen, the spouse of the god of the city.
9:17 The Lord is revealed in making judgments: God has so made the universe that the wicked are punished by the very actions they perform. Selah: see note on Ps 3:3.
Psalm 11 A song of trust. Though friends counsel flight to the mountain country (a traditional hideout) to escape trouble (Ps 11:1–3), the innocent psalmist reaffirms confidence in God, who protects those who seek asylum in the Temple (Ps 11:4–7).
11:3 Foundations: usually understood of public order, cf. Ps 82:5.
11:6 Their allotted cup: the cup that God gives people to drink is a common figure for their destiny, cf. Ps 16:5; 75:9; Mt 20:22; 26:39; Rev 14:10.
Psalm 12 A lament. The psalmist, thrown into a world where lying and violent people persecute the just (Ps 12:2–3), prays that the wicked be punished (Ps 12:4–5). The prayer is not simply for vengeance but arises from a desire to see God’s justice appear on earth. Ps 12:6 preserves the word of assurance spoken by the priest to the lamenter; it is not usually transmitted in such Psalms. In Ps 12:7–8 the psalmist affirms the intention to live by the word of assurance.
12:7 A crucible: lit., “in a crucible in the ground.” The crucible was placed in the ground for support.
Psalm 13 A typical lament, in which the psalmist feels forgotten by God (Ps 13:2–3)—note the force of the repetition of “How long.” The references to enemies may suggest some have wished evil on the psalmist. The heartfelt prayer (Ps 13:4–5) passes on a statement of trust (Ps 13:6a), intended to reinforce the prayer, and a vow to thank God when deliverance has come (Ps 13:6b).
Psalm 14 The lament (duplicated in Ps 53) depicts the world as consisting of two types of people: “the fool” (equals the wicked, Ps 14:1–3) and “the company of the just” (Ps 14:4–6; also called “my people,” and “the poor”). The wicked persecute the just, but the Psalm expresses the hope that God will punish the wicked and reward the good.
14:7 Jacob…Israel…his people: the righteous poor are identified with God’s people.
Psalm 15 The Psalm records a liturgical scrutiny at the entrance to the Temple court (cf. Ps 24:3–6; Is 33:14b–16). The Israelite wishing to be admitted had to ask the Temple official what conduct was appropriate to God’s precincts. Note the emphasis on virtues relating to one’s neighbor.
15:1 Your tent: the Temple could be referred to as “tent” (Ps 61:5; Is 33:20), a reference to the tent of the wilderness period and the tent of David (2 Sm 6:17; 7:2), predecessors of the Temple. Holy mountain: a venerable designation of the divine abode (Ps 2:6; 3:5; 43:3; 48:2, etc.).
15:5 Lends no money at interest: lending money in the Old Testament was often seen as assistance to the poor in their distress, not as an investment; making money off the poor by charging interest was thus forbidden (Ex 22:24; Lv 25:36–37; Dt 23:20).
Psalm 16 In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11).
16:1 Miktam: a term occurring six times in Psalm superscriptions, always with “David.” Its meaning is unknown.
16:4 Take their names: to use the gods’ names in oaths and hence to affirm them as one’s own gods.
16:6 Pleasant places were measured out for me: the psalmist is pleased with the plot of land measured out to the family, which was to be passed on to succeeding generations (“my inheritance”).
16:10 Nor let your devout one see the pit: Hebrew shahath means here the pit, a synonym for Sheol, the underworld. The Greek translation derives the word here and elsewhere from the verb shahath, “to be corrupt.” On the basis of the Greek, Acts 2:25–32; 13:35–37 apply the verse to Christ’s resurrection, “Nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.”

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Historical

Psalm 9[a]

Thanksgiving for Victory and Prayer for Justice

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

Psalm 10

I

II

III

IV

Psalm 11[e]