Psalm 9 in the Hebrew begins as an alphabetic acrostic:
verses 2 and 3, aleph (four times);
1For the lead player, ʿalmut laben, a David psalm.
2I acclaim the LORD with all my heart,ℵ
I will tell of all His wonders.
3I will rejoice and be glad in You,
I will hymn Your name, Most High,
verse 4, bet;
4when my enemies turn back,ב
when they stumble and perish before You.
verse 6, gimmel ;
6You rebuked the nations, destroyed the wicked,ג
their name You wiped out forever.
(dalet, the next letter, is missing);
verse 7, heh;
The enemy — ruins that are gone for all time,ה
and the towns you smashed, their name is lost.
verses 8–11, waw;
But the LORD is forever enthroned,
makes His throne for justice unshaken.
9And He judges the world in righteousness,
lays down law to the nations in truth.
10Let the LORD be a fortress for the downcast,ו
a fortress in times of distress.
11And those who know Your name will trust You,
for You forsook not Your seekers, O LORD.
verse 12, zayin;
Hymn to the LORD Who dwells in Zion,ז
tell among the peoples His deeds.
verse 14, ḥet;
Grant me grace, O LORD,ח
see my torment by my foes,
You Who raise me from the gates of death
verse 16, tet;
16The nations sank down in the trap that they made,ט
in the snare that they made their foot was caught.
verse 18, yod;
18The wicked will turn back to Sheol,י
All the nations forgetful of God.
verse 19, kaf.
19For not forever will the poor man be forgotten,כ
the hope of the lowly not lost forever.
It is notable that some lines of poetry have been interspersed between the acrostic lines, unlike other acrostic psalms in which the sequential letters of the alphabet occur in consecutive lines.
Then
Psalm 10
begins with the next letter of the alphabet, lamed,
1Why do You stand far off, O LORD,ל
turn away in times of distress?
after which the acrostic disappears, to surface near the end of the psalm with the last six letters of the alphabet —
verse 7, peh;
7His mouth is full of oaths,פ
beneath his tongue are guile and deceit,
mischief and misdeed.
verse 8, ayin;
8He waits in ambush in a sheltered place,
from a covert he kills the blameless,
for the wretched his eyes look out.ע
verse 12, qof;
12Rise, O LORD, raise Your hand,ק
forget not the lowly.
verse 14, resh;
14For You have seen mischiefר
and have looked on vexation.
The wretched leaves his fate in Your hands.
It is You Who help the orphan.
verse 15, shin;
15Break the arm of the wicked,ש
and seek out evil,
let wickedness not be found.
and verse 17, taw.
17The desire of the poor You have heard, O LORD,ת
You make their heart firm, Your ear listens.
