Psalm 137-138
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 137
Lament of the Exiles
1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.(A)
2 There we hung up our lyres
on the poplar trees,(B)
3 for our captors there asked us for songs,
and our tormentors, for rejoicing:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”(C)
4 How can we sing the Lord’s song
on foreign soil?(D)
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.(E)
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!(F)
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said
that day[a] at Jerusalem:
“Destroy it! Destroy it
down to its foundations!”(G)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us.(H)
9 Happy is he who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rocks.(I)
Psalm 138
A Thankful Heart
Davidic.
1 I will give You thanks with all my heart;(J)
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.[b](K)
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.(L)
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You increased strength within me.[c](M)
4 All the kings on earth will give You thanks, Lord,
when they hear what You have promised.[d](N)
5 They will sing of the Lord’s ways,
for the Lord’s glory is great.(O)
6 Though the Lord is exalted,
He takes note of the humble;
but He knows the haughty from a distance.(P)
7 If I walk into the thick of danger,
You will preserve my life
from the anger of my enemies.(Q)
You will extend Your hand;
Your right hand will save me.(R)
8 The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.(S)
Lord, Your love is eternal;
do not abandon the work of Your hands.(T)
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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