Psalm 134–137

Praising Yahweh in the Temple at Night

134A song of ascents.^a

¹Look, bless Yahweh, all you the servants of Yahweh,

who serve^b in the house^c of Yahweh by night.

²Lift up your hands in the sanctuary

and bless Yahweh.

³May Yahweh bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth.

Praise to God for His Power and Redemption

135Praise Yah!^a Praise the name of Yahweh.

Praise him, O servants of Yahweh,

²who stand in the house^b of Yahweh,

in the courts of the house^c of our God.

³Praise Yah,^d for Yahweh is good.

Sing praises concerning his name, for it is pleasant.

⁴For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself,

Israel as his special possession.

⁵For I know that Yahweh is great,

and our Lord is greater than all gods.

⁶All that Yahweh desires, he does,

in heaven and on earth,

in the seas and all the depths.

⁷He causes clouds to rise from the edge of the earth;

he makes lightnings for the rain;

he brings out the wind from his storehouses.

⁸Who struck the firstborn of Egypt,

both of humans^e and animals.^f

⁹He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

¹⁰Who struck many nations

and killed mighty kings—

¹¹Sihon the king of the Amorites,

and Og the king of Bashan,

and all the kingdoms of Canaan—

¹²and he gave their land as an inheritance,

an inheritance for his people Israel.

¹³O Yahweh, your name endures forever,

O Yahweh, your renown^g throughout all generations,^h

¹⁴for Yahweh will plead the cause of his people

and will have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

the work of the hands of humankind.

¹⁶They have mouths, but cannot speak;

they have eyes, but cannot see;

¹⁷they have ears, but cannot hear;

there is not even breath in their mouths.

¹⁸Those who make them become like them,

as does everyone who trusts in them.

¹⁹O house of Israel, bless Yahweh.

O house of Aaron, bless Yahweh.

²⁰O house of Levi, bless Yahweh.

You who fear Yahweh, bless Yahweh.

²¹Blessed be Yahweh from Zion,

who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise Yah!ⁱ

Praise to God for His Creation and Deliverance

136Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²Give thanks to the God of gods,

for his loyal love endures forever.

³Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for his loyal love endures forever.

⁴To him who alone does great wonders,

for his loyal love endures forever.

⁵To him who made the heavens with skill,^a

for his loyal love endures forever.

⁶To him who spread out the earth above the waters,

for his loyal love endures forever.

⁷To him who made the great lights,

for his loyal love endures forever.

⁸The sun to rule the day,

for his loyal love endures forever.

⁹The moon and stars to rule the night,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁰To him who struck Egypt through their firstborn,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹¹And he brought Israel out from among them,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹²With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹³To him who divided the Red Sea^b in two,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁴And he let Israel cross over through the midst of it,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁵But he tossed Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,^c

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁶To him who led his people through the wilderness,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁷To him who struck great kings,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁸And he killed mighty kings,

for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁹Sihon the king of the Amorites,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²⁰And Og the king of Bashan,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²¹And he gave their land as an inheritance,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²²An inheritance to Israel his servant,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²³Who remembered us in our low estate,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²⁴And he rescued us from our enemies,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²⁵The one who gives food to all flesh,

for his loyal love endures forever.

²⁶Give thanks to the God of heaven,

for his loyal love endures forever.

Lament During the Babylonian Exile

137By the rivers of Babylon,

there we sat, yes, we wept,

when we remembered Zion.

²On the willows^a in her midst,

we hung up our lyres.

³For there our captors asked of us

words of a song,

and our tormentors^b asked of us jubilation,

“Sing for us from a song of Zion.”

⁴How could we sing the song of Yahweh

in a foreign land?^c

⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

let my right hand forget.^d

⁶Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,

if I do not remember you,

if do not I exalt Jerusalem

above my highest joy.

⁷Remember, O Yahweh, against the sons of Edom

the day of Jerusalem,

the ones who said, “Lay it bare! Lay it bare

to its foundation!”

⁸O daughter of Babylon, about to be devastated,

happy shall be he who pays back to you

what you paid out to us.^e

⁹Happy shall be he who seizes

and smashes your children

against the rock.