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Psalm 137-143
English Standard Version
Psalm 137-143
English Standard Version
How Shall We Sing the Lord's Song?
137 By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows[a] there
we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 (A)How shall we sing the Lord's song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
(B)let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my (C)tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
7 Remember, O Lord, against the (D)Edomites
(E)the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, (F)“Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, (G)doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who (H)repays you
with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and (I)dashes them against the rock!
Give Thanks to the Lord
Of David.
138 (J)I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before (K)the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down (L)toward your (M)holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.[b]
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.[c]
4 (N)All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of (O)the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 (P)For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 (Q)Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you (R)preserve my life;
you (S)stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your (T)right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will (U)fulfill his purpose for me;
(V)your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake (W)the work of your hands.
Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, you have (X)searched me and known me!
2 You (Y)know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you (Z)discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, (AA)you know it altogether.
5 You (AB)hem me in, behind and before,
and (AC)lay your hand upon me.
6 (AD)Such knowledge is (AE)too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 (AF)Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where (AG)shall I flee from your presence?
8 (AH)If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
(AI)If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall (AJ)lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, (AK)“Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 (AL)even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you (AM)formed my inward parts;
you (AN)knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[d]
(AO)Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 (AP)My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in (AQ)the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your (AR)book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your (AS)thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 (AT)If I would count them, they are more than (AU)the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
19 Oh that you would (AV)slay the wicked, O God!
O (AW)men of blood, (AX)depart from me!
20 They (AY)speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies (AZ)take your name in vain.[e]
21 (BA)Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not (BB)loathe those who (BC)rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
(BD)Try me and know my thoughts![f]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and (BE)lead me in (BF)the way everlasting![g]
Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
140 (BG)Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from (BH)violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart
and (BI)stir up wars continually.
3 They make (BJ)their tongue sharp as (BK)a serpent's,
and (BL)under their lips is the (BM)venom of asps. Selah
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from (BN)violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have (BO)hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread (BP)a net;[h]
beside the way they have set (BQ)snares for me. Selah
6 (BR)I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to (BS)the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, (BT)the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 (BU)Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their[i] evil plot, or (BV)they will be exalted! Selah
9 As for the head of those who surround me,
let (BW)the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let (BX)burning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
11 Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
12 I know that the Lord will (BY)maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and (BZ)will execute justice for the needy.
13 Surely (CA)the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
(CB)the upright shall dwell in your presence.
Give Ear to My Voice
A Psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I call upon you; (CC)hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let (CD)my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and (CE)the lifting up of my hands as (CF)the evening sacrifice!
3 (CG)Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
(CH)keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 (CI)Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who (CJ)work iniquity,
and (CK)let me not eat of their delicacies!
5 (CL)Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet (CM)my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
6 When their judges are (CN)thrown over the cliff,[j]
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones (CO)be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.[k]
8 But (CP)my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
(CQ)in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless![l]
9 Keep me from (CR)the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked (CS)fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.
You Are My Refuge
A Maskil[m] of David, when he was in (CT)the cave. A Prayer.
142 With my voice I (CU)cry out to the Lord;
with my voice I (CV)plead for mercy to the Lord.
2 I (CW)pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit (CX)faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have (CY)hidden a trap for me.
4 (CZ)Look to the (DA)right and see:
(DB)there is none who takes notice of me;
(DC)no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my (DD)refuge,
my (DE)portion in (DF)the land of the living.”
6 (DG)Attend to my cry,
for (DH)I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
(DI)for they are too strong for me!
7 (DJ)Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will (DK)deal bountifully with me.
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
(DL)give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your (DM)faithfulness answer me, in your (DN)righteousness!
2 (DO)Enter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous (DP)before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
(DQ)he has crushed my life to the ground;
(DR)he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit (DS)faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 (DT)I remember the days of old;
(DU)I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6 (DV)I stretch out my hands to you;
(DW)my soul thirsts for you like (DX)a parched land. Selah
7 (DY)Answer me quickly, O Lord!
(DZ)My spirit fails!
(EA)Hide not your face from me,
(EB)lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 (EC)Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I (ED)trust.
(EE)Make me know the way I should go,
(EF)for to you I lift up my soul.
9 (EG)Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge.[n]
10 (EH)Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
(EI)Let your good Spirit (EJ)lead me
on (EK)level ground!
11 (EL)For your name's sake, O Lord, (EM)preserve my life!
In your righteousness (EN)bring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will (EO)cut off my enemies,
and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your (EP)servant.
Footnotes
- Psalm 137:2 Or poplars
- Psalm 138:2 Or you have exalted your word above all your name
- Psalm 138:3 Hebrew you made me bold in my soul with strength
- Psalm 139:14 Or for I am fearfully set apart
- Psalm 139:20 Hebrew lacks your name
- Psalm 139:23 Or cares
- Psalm 139:24 Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16)
- Psalm 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net
- Psalm 140:8 Hebrew his
- Psalm 141:6 Or When their judges fall into the hands of the Rock
- Psalm 141:7 The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 6, 7 is uncertain
- Psalm 141:8 Hebrew refuge; do not pour out my life!
- Psalm 142:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered
Psalm 137-143
New International Version
Psalm 137-143
New International Version
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
when we remembered Zion.(C)
2 There on the poplars(D)
we hung our harps,(E)
3 for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
my highest joy.
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them(R) against the rocks.
Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods”(S) I will sing(T) your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple(U)
and will praise your name(V)
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,(W)
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.(X)
3 When I called,(Y) you answered me;(Z)
you greatly emboldened(AA) me.
4 May all the kings of the earth(AB) praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing(AC) of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord(AD) is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;(AE)
though lofty, he sees them(AF) from afar.
7 Though I walk(AG) in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.(AH)
You stretch out your hand(AI) against the anger of my foes;(AJ)
with your right hand(AK) you save me.(AL)
8 The Lord will vindicate(AM) me;
your love, Lord, endures forever(AN)—
do not abandon(AO) the works of your hands.(AP)
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 You have searched me,(AQ) Lord,
and you know(AR) me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;(AS)
you perceive my thoughts(AT) from afar.
3 You discern my going out(AU) and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.(AV)
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.(AW)
5 You hem me in(AX) behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,(AY)
too lofty(AZ) for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee(BA) from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens,(BB) you are there;
if I make my bed(BC) in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,(BD)
your right hand(BE) will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark(BF) to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;(BG)
you knit me together(BH) in my mother’s womb.(BI)
14 I praise you(BJ) because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,(BK)
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made(BL) in the secret place,
when I was woven together(BM) in the depths of the earth.(BN)
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained(BO) for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a](BP) God!(BQ)
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,(BR)
they would outnumber the grains of sand(BS)—
when I awake,(BT) I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!(BU)
Away from me,(BV) you who are bloodthirsty!(BW)
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries(BX) misuse your name.(BY)
21 Do I not hate those(BZ) who hate you, Lord,
and abhor(CA) those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.(CB)
23 Search me,(CC) God, and know my heart;(CD)
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way(CE) in me,
and lead me(CF) in the way everlasting.
Psalm 140[b]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me,(CG) Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from the violent,(CH)
2 who devise evil plans(CI) in their hearts
and stir up war(CJ) every day.
3 They make their tongues as sharp as(CK) a serpent’s;
the poison of vipers(CL) is on their lips.[c]
4 Keep me safe,(CM) Lord, from the hands of the wicked;(CN)
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a snare(CO) for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net(CP)
and have set traps(CQ) for me along my path.
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”(CR)
Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.(CS)
7 Sovereign Lord,(CT) my strong deliverer,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant the wicked(CU) their desires, Lord;
do not let their plans succeed.
9 Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;
may the mischief of their lips engulf them.(CV)
10 May burning coals fall on them;
may they be thrown into the fire,(CW)
into miry pits, never to rise.
11 May slanderers not be established in the land;
may disaster hunt down the violent.(CX)
12 I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor(CY)
and upholds the cause(CZ) of the needy.(DA)
13 Surely the righteous will praise your name,(DB)
and the upright will live(DC) in your presence.(DD)
Psalm 141
A psalm of David.
1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly(DE) to me;
hear me(DF) when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;(DG)
may the lifting up of my hands(DH) be like the evening sacrifice.(DI)
3 Set a guard over my mouth,(DJ) Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.(DK)
4 Do not let my heart(DL) be drawn to what is evil
so that I take part in wicked deeds(DM)
along with those who are evildoers;
do not let me eat their delicacies.(DN)
5 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
let him rebuke me(DO)—that is oil on my head.(DP)
My head will not refuse it,
for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
6 Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,(DQ)
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
7 They will say, “As one plows(DR) and breaks up the earth,(DS)
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth(DT) of the grave.”
8 But my eyes are fixed(DU) on you, Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge(DV)—do not give me over to death.
9 Keep me safe(DW) from the traps set by evildoers,(DX)
from the snares(DY) they have laid for me.
10 Let the wicked fall(DZ) into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.(EA)
Psalm 142[d]
A maskil[e] of David. When he was in the cave.(EB) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud(EC) to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.(ED)
2 I pour out before him my complaint;(EE)
before him I tell my trouble.(EF)
3 When my spirit grows faint(EG) within me,
it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
people have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;(EH)
no one cares(EI) for my life.
6 Listen to my cry,(EM)
for I am in desperate need;(EN)
rescue me(EO) from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong(EP) for me.
7 Set me free from my prison,(EQ)
that I may praise your name.(ER)
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of your goodness to me.(ES)
Psalm 143
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, hear my prayer,(ET)
listen to my cry for mercy;(EU)
in your faithfulness(EV) and righteousness(EW)
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous(EX) before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness(EY)
like those long dead.(EZ)
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.(FA)
5 I remember(FB) the days of long ago;
I meditate(FC) on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands(FD) to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.[f]
7 Answer me quickly,(FE) Lord;
my spirit fails.(FF)
Do not hide your face(FG) from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,(FH)
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way(FI) I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.(FJ)
9 Rescue me(FK) from my enemies,(FL) Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me(FM) to do your will,
for you are my God;(FN)
may your good Spirit
lead(FO) me on level ground.(FP)
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:17 Or How amazing are your thoughts concerning me
- Psalm 140:1 In Hebrew texts 140:1-13 is numbered 140:2-14.
- Psalm 140:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 8.
- Psalm 142:1 In Hebrew texts 142:1-7 is numbered 142:2-8.
- Psalm 142:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 143:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.