Psalm 137–138

Psalm 137

¹Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept

as we thought of Jerusalem.

²We put away our harps,

hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.

³For our captors demanded a song from us.

Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn:

“Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”

⁴But how can we sing the songs of the Lord

while in a pagan land?

⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

let my right hand forget how to play the harp.

⁶May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth

if I fail to remember you,

if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.

⁷O Lord, remember what the Edomites did

on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem.

“Destroy it!” they yelled.

“Level it to the ground!”

⁸O Babylon, you will be destroyed.

Happy is the one who pays you back

for what you have done to us.

⁹Happy is the one who takes your babies

and smashes them against the rocks!

Psalm 138

A psalm of David.

¹I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;

I will sing your praises before the gods.

²I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.

I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;

for your promises are backed

by all the honor of your name.

³As soon as I pray, you answer me;

you encourage me by giving me strength.

⁴Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord,

for all of them will hear your words.

⁵Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways,

for the glory of the Lord is very great.

⁶Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,

but he keeps his distance from the proud.

⁷Though I am surrounded by troubles,

you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.

You reach out your hand,

and the power of your right hand saves me.

⁸The Lord will work out his plans for my life—

for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.

Don’t abandon me, for you made me.