Psalm 136-138
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 136
God’s Love Is Eternal
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.(A)
His love is eternal.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love is eternal.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.(B)
His love is eternal.
4 He alone does great wonders.(C)
His love is eternal.
5 He made the heavens skillfully.(D)
His love is eternal.
6 He spread the land on the waters.(E)
His love is eternal.
7 He made the great lights:(F)
His love is eternal.
8 the sun to rule by day,
His love is eternal.
9 the moon and stars to rule by night.(G)
His love is eternal.
10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians(H)
His love is eternal.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love is eternal.
12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm.(I)
His love is eternal.
13 He divided the Red Sea(J)
His love is eternal.
14 and led Israel through,(K)
His love is eternal.
15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.(L)
His love is eternal.
16 He led His people in the wilderness.(M)
His love is eternal.
17 He struck down great kings
His love is eternal.
18 and slaughtered famous kings—
His love is eternal.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love is eternal.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love is eternal.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love is eternal.
22 an inheritance to Israel His servant.(N)
His love is eternal.
23 He remembered us in our humiliation(O)
His love is eternal.
24 and rescued us from our foes.(P)
His love is eternal.
25 He gives food to every creature.(Q)
His love is eternal.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!(R)
His love is eternal.
Psalm 137
Lament of the Exiles
1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.(S)
2 There we hung up our lyres
on the poplar trees,(T)
3 for our captors there asked us for songs,
and our tormentors, for rejoicing:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”(U)
4 How can we sing the Lord’s song
on foreign soil?(V)
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.(W)
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!(X)
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said
that day[a] at Jerusalem:
“Destroy it! Destroy it
down to its foundations!”(Y)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us.(Z)
9 Happy is he who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rocks.(AA)
Psalm 138
A Thankful Heart
Davidic.
1 I will give You thanks with all my heart;(AB)
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.[b](AC)
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your constant love and truth.
You have exalted Your name
and Your promise above everything else.(AD)
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You increased strength within me.[c](AE)
4 All the kings on earth will give You thanks, Lord,
when they hear what You have promised.[d](AF)
5 They will sing of the Lord’s ways,
for the Lord’s glory is great.(AG)
6 Though the Lord is exalted,
He takes note of the humble;
but He knows the haughty from a distance.(AH)
7 If I walk into the thick of danger,
You will preserve my life
from the anger of my enemies.(AI)
You will extend Your hand;
Your right hand will save me.(AJ)
8 The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.(AK)
Lord, Your love is eternal;
do not abandon the work of Your hands.(AL)
Footnotes
- Psalm 137:7 The day Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 b.c.
- Psalm 138:1 Or before the gods, or before judges, or before kings; Hb elohim
- Psalm 138:3 Hb obscure
- Psalm 138:4 Lit hear the words of Your mouth
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