Psalms 9:12

For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; ¹  he did not overlook ²  their cry for help ³ 

For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore those who cry to him for help.

How he tracks down killers yet keeps his eye on us, registers every whimper and moan.

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

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

When He avenges blood, He remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the humble.

For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed; ¹  he did not overlook ²  their cry for help ³ 

¹ tn Heb “for the one who seeks shed blood remembered them.” The idiomatic expression “to seek shed blood” seems to carry the idea “to seek payment/restitution for one’s shed blood.” The plural form דָּמִים (damim, “shed blood”) occurs only here as the object of דָּרַשׁ (darash); the singular form דָּם (dam, “blood”) appears with the verb in Gen 9:5; 42:22; Ezek 33:6. “Them,” the pronominal object of the verb “remembered,” refers to the oppressed, mentioned specifically in the next line, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “did not forget.”

³ tn Heb “the cry for help of the oppressed.” In this context the “oppressed” are the psalmist and those he represents, whom the hostile nations have threatened.