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Psalm 137-140
Contemporary English Version
Psalm 137-140
Contemporary English Version
A Prayer for Revenge
1 Beside the rivers of Babylon
we thought about Jerusalem,
and we sat down and cried.
2 We hung our small harps
on the willow[a] trees.
3 Our enemies had brought us here
as their prisoners;
now they wanted us to sing
and entertain them.
They insulted us and shouted,
“Sing about Zion!”
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!
(By David.)
Praise the Lord with All Your Heart
1 With all my heart
I praise you, Lord.
In the presence of angels[b]
I sing your praises.
2 I worship at your holy temple
and praise you for your love
and your faithfulness.
You were true to your word
and made yourself more famous
than ever before.[c]
3 When I asked for your help,
you answered my prayer
and gave me courage.[d]
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]
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
The Lord Is Always Near
1 You have looked deep
into my heart, Lord,
and you know all about me.
2 You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
you discover my thoughts.
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.
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
A Prayer for the Lord's Help
1 Rescue me from cruel
and violent enemies, Lord!
2 They think up evil plans
and always cause trouble.
3 (C) Their words bite deep
like the poisonous fangs
of a snake.
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.
Footnotes
- 137.2 willow: Or “poplar.”
- 138.1 angels: Or “gods” or “supernatural beings” who worship and serve God in heaven; or possibly “rulers” or “leaders.”
- 138.2 You were … before: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 138.3 and gave me courage: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 138.8 You have … now: Or “Please don't desert your people.”
- 139.20 you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 20.
- 140.8,9 or else … lies: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Psalm 137-140
New International Version
Psalm 137-140
New International Version
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
when we remembered Zion.(C)
2 There on the poplars(D)
we hung our harps,(E)
3 for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
my highest joy.
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them(R) against the rocks.
Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods”(S) I will sing(T) your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple(U)
and will praise your name(V)
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,(W)
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.(X)
3 When I called,(Y) you answered me;(Z)
you greatly emboldened(AA) me.
4 May all the kings of the earth(AB) praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing(AC) of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord(AD) is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;(AE)
though lofty, he sees them(AF) from afar.
7 Though I walk(AG) in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.(AH)
You stretch out your hand(AI) against the anger of my foes;(AJ)
with your right hand(AK) you save me.(AL)
8 The Lord will vindicate(AM) me;
your love, Lord, endures forever(AN)—
do not abandon(AO) the works of your hands.(AP)
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 You have searched me,(AQ) Lord,
and you know(AR) me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;(AS)
you perceive my thoughts(AT) from afar.
3 You discern my going out(AU) and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.(AV)
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.(AW)
5 You hem me in(AX) behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,(AY)
too lofty(AZ) for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee(BA) from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens,(BB) you are there;
if I make my bed(BC) in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,(BD)
your right hand(BE) will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark(BF) to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;(BG)
you knit me together(BH) in my mother’s womb.(BI)
14 I praise you(BJ) because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,(BK)
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made(BL) in the secret place,
when I was woven together(BM) in the depths of the earth.(BN)
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained(BO) for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a](BP) God!(BQ)
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,(BR)
they would outnumber the grains of sand(BS)—
when I awake,(BT) I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!(BU)
Away from me,(BV) you who are bloodthirsty!(BW)
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries(BX) misuse your name.(BY)
21 Do I not hate those(BZ) who hate you, Lord,
and abhor(CA) those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.(CB)
23 Search me,(CC) God, and know my heart;(CD)
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way(CE) in me,
and lead me(CF) in the way everlasting.
Psalm 140[b]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me,(CG) Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from the violent,(CH)
2 who devise evil plans(CI) in their hearts
and stir up war(CJ) every day.
3 They make their tongues as sharp as(CK) a serpent’s;
the poison of vipers(CL) is on their lips.[c]
4 Keep me safe,(CM) Lord, from the hands of the wicked;(CN)
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a snare(CO) for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net(CP)
and have set traps(CQ) for me along my path.
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”(CR)
Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.(CS)
7 Sovereign Lord,(CT) my strong deliverer,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant the wicked(CU) their desires, Lord;
do not let their plans succeed.
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:17 Or How amazing are your thoughts concerning me
- Psalm 140:1 In Hebrew texts 140:1-13 is numbered 140:2-14.
- Psalm 140:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 8.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.