Psalm 137-140
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 137
Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem
1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down, and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.(A)
2 On the willows[a] there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(B)
4 How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.(C)
7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!”(D)
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator![b]
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!(E)
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!(F)
Psalm 138
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord,[c] with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;(G)
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.[d](H)
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.[e](I)
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.(J)
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.(K)
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.(L)
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.(M)
Psalm 139
The Inescapable God
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.(N)
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.(O)
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.(P)
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.(Q)
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.(R)
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.(S)
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?(T)
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.(U)
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.(V)
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and night wraps itself around me,”[f](W)
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.(X)
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.(Y)
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.(Z)
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.(AA)
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.[g]
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!(AB)
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end[h]—I am still with you.
19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—(AC)
20 those who speak of you maliciously
and lift themselves up against you for evil![i](AD)
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?(AE)
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.(AF)
24 See if there is any wicked[j] way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.[k](AG)
Psalm 140
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,(AH)
2 who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.(AI)
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah(AJ)
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned my downfall.(AK)
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net,[l]
along the road they have set snares for me. Selah(AL)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God;
give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.”(AM)
7 O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.(AN)
8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot.[m] Selah(AO)
9 Those who surround me lift up their heads;[n]
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!(AP)
10 Let burning coals fall on them!
Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!(AQ)
11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil speedily hunt down the violent!(AR)
12 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy
and executes justice for the poor.(AS)
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall live in your presence.(AT)
Footnotes
- 137.2 Or poplars
- 137.8 Or you who are devastated
- 138.1 Q mss Gk: MT lacks O Lord
- 138.2 Cn: Heb you have exalted your word above all your name
- 138.3 Syr Compare Gk Tg: Heb you made me arrogant in my soul with strength
- 139.11 Q ms: MT and the light around me become night
- 139.16 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 139.18 Or I awake
- 139.20 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 139.24 Heb hurtful
- 139.24 Or the ancient way
- 140.5 Or they have spread cords as a net
- 140.8 Heb adds they are exalted
- 140.9 Cn: Heb those who surround me are uplifted in head
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.
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