Psalm 137–138

Israelites in Captivity

137By the rivers in Babylon we sat and cried

when we remembered Jerusalem.

²On the poplar trees nearby

we hung our harps.

³Those who captured us asked us to sing;

our enemies wanted happy songs.

They said, “Sing us a song about Jerusalem!”

⁴But we cannot sing songs about the Lord

while we are in this foreign country!

⁵Jerusalem, if I forget you,

let my right hand lose its skill.

⁶Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not think about Jerusalem

as my greatest joy.

⁷Lord, remember what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell.

They said, “Tear it down!

Tear it down to its foundations!”

⁸People of Babylon, you will be destroyed.

The people who pay you back for what you did to us will be happy.

⁹They will grab your babies

and throw them against the rocks.

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

A psalm of David.

138Lord, I will thank you with all my heart;

I will sing to you before the gods.

²I will bow down facing your holy Temple,

and I will thank you for your love and loyalty.

You have made your name and your word

greater than anything.

³On the day I called to you, you answered me.

You made me strong and brave.

⁴Lord, let all the kings of the earth praise you

when they hear the words you speak.

⁵They will sing about what the Lord has done,

because the Lord’s glory is great.

⁶Though the Lord is supreme,

he takes care of those who are humble,

but he stays away from the proud.

⁷Lord, even when I have trouble all around me,

you will keep me alive.

When my enemies are angry,

you will reach down and save me by your power.

⁸Lord, you do everything for me.

Lord, your love continues forever.

Do not leave us, whom you made.