Psalm 137-139

New King James Version

Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land

137 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
²We hung our harps
Upon the willows in the midst of it.
³For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
And those who ^(A)plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
⁶If I do not remember you,
Let my ^(B)tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.

⁷Remember, O Lord, against ^(C)the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, ^[a]“Raze it, raze it,
To its very foundation!”

⁸O daughter of Babylon, ^(D)who are to be destroyed,
Happy the one ^(E)who repays you as you have served us!
⁹Happy the one who takes and ^(F)dashes
Your little ones against the rock!

The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful

A Psalm of David.

138 I will praise You with my whole heart;
^(G)Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
²^(H)I will worship ^(I)toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have ^(J)magnified Your word above all Your name.
³In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

⁴^(K)All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,
When they hear the words of Your mouth.
⁵Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
For great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶^(L)Though the Lord is on high,
Yet ^(M)He regards the lowly;
But the proud He knows from afar.

⁷^(N)Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
⁸^(O)The Lord will ^[b]perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
^(P)Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, ^(Q)You have searched me and known me.
²^(R)You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You ^(S)understand my thought afar off.
³^(T)You ^[c]comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, ^(U)You know it altogether.
⁵You have ^[d]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
⁶^(V)Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

⁷^(W)Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸^(X)If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
^(Y)If I make my bed in ^[e]hell, behold, You are there.
⁹If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness shall ^[f]fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
¹²Indeed, ^(Z)the darkness ^[g]shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

¹³For You formed my inward parts;
You ^[h]covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I will praise You, for ^[i]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵^(AA)My ^[j]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

¹⁷^(AB)How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
¹⁸If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹Oh, that You would ^(AC)slay the wicked, O God!
^(AD)Depart from me, therefore, you ^[k]bloodthirsty men.
²⁰For they ^(AE)speak against You wickedly;
^[l]Your enemies take Your name in vain.
²¹^(AF)Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
²²I hate them with ^[m]perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

²³^(AG)Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
²⁴And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And ^(AH)lead me in the way everlasting.