Psalm 136-140

American Standard Version

136 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
² Oh give thanks unto the God of gods;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
³ Oh give thanks unto the Lord of lords;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
⁴ To him who alone doeth great wonders;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
⁵ To him that by understanding made the heavens;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
⁶ To him that spread forth the earth above the waters;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
⁷ To him that made great lights;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
⁸ The sun to rule by day;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
¹⁰ To him that smote Egypt in their first-born;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
¹¹ And brought out Israel from among them;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
¹² With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
¹³ To him that divided the Red Sea in sunder;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
¹⁴ And made Israel to pass through the midst of it;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
¹⁵ But ^[a]overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
¹⁶ To him that led his people through the wilderness;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
¹⁷ To him that smote great kings;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
¹⁸ And slew famous kings;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
²⁰ And Og king of Bashan;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
²¹ And gave their land for a heritage;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
²² Even a heritage unto Israel his servant;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
²³ Who remembered us in our low estate;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
²⁴ And hath delivered us from our adversaries;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever:
²⁵ Who giveth food to all flesh;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
²⁶ Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

137 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept,
When we remembered Zion.
² Upon the willows in the midst thereof
We hanged up our harps.
³ For there they that led us captive required of us ^[b]songs,
And ^[c]they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying,
Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
⁴ How shall we sing Jehovah’s song
In a foreign land?
⁵ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget her skill.
⁶ Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
If I remember thee not;
If I prefer not Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
⁷ Remember, O Jehovah, against the children of Edom
The day of Jerusalem;
Who said, Rase it, rase it,
Even to the foundation thereof.
⁸ O daughter of Babylon, ^[d]that art to be destroyed,
Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee
As thou hast served us.
⁹ Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones
Against the rock.

138 I will give thee thanks with my whole heart:
Before the gods will I sing praises unto thee.
² I will worship toward thy holy temple,
And give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:
For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
³ In the day that I called thou answeredst me,
Thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.
⁴ All the kings of the earth shall give thee thanks, O Jehovah,
For they have heard the words of thy mouth.
⁵ Yea, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah;
For great is the glory of Jehovah.
⁶ For though Jehovah is high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly;
But the haughty he knoweth from afar.
⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me;
Thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of mine enemies,
And thy right hand will save me.
⁸ Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me:
Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, endureth for ever;
Forsake not the works of thine own hands.

139 O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me.
² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising;
Thou understandest my thought afar off.
³ Thou ^[e]searchest out my path and my lying down,
And art acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue,
But, lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether.
⁵ Thou hast beset me behind and before,
And laid thy hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain unto it.
⁷ Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
⁸ If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
¹⁰ Even there shall thy hand lead me,
And thy right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, Surely the darkness shall ^[f]overwhelm me,
^[g]And the light about me shall be night;
¹² Even the darkness hideth not from thee,
But the night shineth as the day:
The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
¹³ For thou didst form my ^[h]inward parts:
Thou didst ^[i]cover me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
Wonderful are thy works;
And that my soul knoweth right well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from thee,
When I was made in secret,
And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶ Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance;
And in thy book they were all written,
Even the days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was none of them.
¹⁷ How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
When I awake, I am still with thee.
^19 [j]Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:
Depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty men.
²⁰ For they ^[k]speak against thee wickedly,
And thine enemies ^[l]take thy name in vain.
²¹ Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee?
And ^[m]am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
²² I hate them with perfect hatred:
They are become mine enemies.
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart:
Try me, and know my thoughts;
²⁴ And see if there be any ^[n]wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

140 Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man;
Preserve me from the violent man:
² Who devise mischiefs in their heart;
Continually do they ^[o]gather themselves together for war.
³ They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent;
Adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah
⁴ Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from the violent man:
Who have purposed to thrust aside my steps.
⁵ The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set gins for me. Selah
⁶ I said unto Jehovah, Thou art my God:
Give ear unto the voice of my supplications, O Jehovah.
⁷ O Jehovah the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
⁸ Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked;
Further not his evil device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah
⁹ As for the head of those that compass me about,
Let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
¹⁰ Let burning coals fall upon them:
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into ^[p]deep pits, whence they shall not rise.
^11 [q]An evil speaker shall not be established in the earth:
Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
¹² I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the needy.
¹³ Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name:
The upright shall dwell in thy presence.