Psalm 137-140

Contemporary English Version

⁴ Here in a foreign land,
how can we sing
    about the Lord?
⁵ Jerusalem, if I forget you,
    let my right hand go limp.
⁶ Let my tongue stick
    to the roof of my mouth,
if I don't think about you
    above all else.

⁷ Our Lord, punish the Edomites!
On the day Jerusalem fell,
    they shouted,
“Completely destroy the city!
    Tear down every building!”

^8 (A) Babylon, you are doomed!
    I pray the Lord's blessings
on anyone who punishes you
    for what you did to us.
⁹ May the Lord bless everyone
who beats your children
    against the rocks!

⁴ All kings on this earth
have heard your promises, Lord,
    and they will praise you.
⁵ You are so famous
that they will sing about
    the things you have done.
⁶ Though you are above us all,
    you care for humble people,
and you keep a close watch
    on everyone who is proud.

⁷ I am surrounded by trouble,
but you protect me
    against my angry enemies.
With your own powerful arm
    you keep me safe.

⁸ You, Lord, will always
treat me with kindness.
    Your love never fails.
You have made us what we are.
    Don't give up on us now!^[e]

³ You notice everything I do
    and everywhere I go.
⁴ Before I even speak a word,
    you know what I will say,
⁵ and with your powerful arm
you protect me
    from every side.
⁶ I can't understand all of this!
Such wonderful knowledge
    is far above me.

⁷ Where could I go to escape
from your Spirit
    or from your sight?
⁸ If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens,
    you would be there.
If I were to dig down
to the world of the dead
    you would also be there.

⁹ Suppose I had wings
like the dawning day
    and flew across the ocean.
¹⁰ Even then your powerful arm
    would guide and protect me.
¹¹ Or suppose I said, “I'll hide
in the dark until night comes
    to cover me over.”
¹² But you see in the dark
because daylight and dark
    are all the same to you.

¹³ You are the one
who put me together
    inside my mother's body,
¹⁴ and I praise you because of
the wonderful way
    you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous!
    Of this I have no doubt.

¹⁵ Nothing about me
    is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together
    out of human sight,
¹⁶ but with your own eyes you saw
    my body being formed.
Even before I was born,
you had written in your book
    everything about me.

^17 (B) Your thoughts are far beyond
    my understanding,
much more than I
    could ever imagine.
¹⁸ I try to count your thoughts,
but they outnumber the grains
    of sand on the beach.
And when I awake,
    I will find you nearby.

¹⁹ How I wish that you would kill
all cruel and heartless people
    and protect me from them!
²⁰ They are always rebelling
    and speaking evil of you.^[f]
21 You know I hate anyone
who hates you, Lord,
    and refuses to obey.
²² They are my enemies too,
    and I truly hate them.

²³ Look deep into my heart, God,
and find out everything
    I am thinking.
²⁴ Don't let me follow evil ways,
but lead me in the way
    that time has proven true.

⁴ Protect me, Lord, from cruel
and brutal enemies,
    who want to destroy me.
⁵ Those proud people have hidden
traps and nets
    to catch me as I walk.

⁶ You, Lord, are my God!
    Please listen to my prayer.
⁷ You have the power to save me,
and you keep me safe
    in every battle.

⁸ Don't let the wicked succeed
    in doing what they want,
or else they might never
    stop planning evil.
⁹ They have me surrounded,
but make them the victims
    of their own vicious lies.^[g]
10 Dump flaming coals on them
and throw them into pits
    where they can't climb out.
¹¹ Chase those cruel liars away!
    Let trouble hunt them down.

¹² Our Lord, I know that you
    defend the homeless
and see that the poor
    are given justice.
¹³ Your people will praise you
and will live with you
    because they do right.