Beginning
133 1 This Psalm containeth the commendation of brotherly amity among the servants of God.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
1 Behold, how good and how comely a thing it is, brethren to dwell even [a]together.
2 It is like to the precious [b]ointment upon the head, that runneth down upon the beard, even unto Aaron’s beard, which went down on the border of his garments,
3 And as the dew of [c]Hermon which falleth upon the mountains of Zion: for [d]there the Lord appointed the blessing and life forever.
134 1 He exhorteth the Levites watching in the Temple, to praise the Lord.
A song of degrees.
1 Behold, praise ye the Lord, all ye [e]servants of the Lord, ye that by night stand in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your [f]hands to the Sanctuary, and praise the Lord.
3 The Lord that [g]hath made heaven and earth, bless thee out of Zion.
135 1 He exhorteth all the faithful, of what estate soever they be, to praise God for his marvelous works. 12 And specially for his graces toward his people, wherein he hath declared his Majesty, 15 To the confusion of all idolaters and their idols.
Praise ye the Lord.
1 Praise, the Name of the Lord; ye servants of the Lord, praise him.
2 Ye that [h]stand in the House of the Lord, and in the [i]courts of the House of our God,
3 Praise ye the Lord: for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his Name: for it is a comely thing.
4 For the Lord hath [j]chosen Jacob to himself, and Israel for his chief treasure.
5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatsoever pleased the Lord, that [k]did he in heaven and in earth, in the sea, and in all the depths.
7 He bringeth up the clouds from the ends of the earth, and maketh the (A)lightnings with the rain: he draweth forth the wind out of his treasures.
8 (B)He smote the firstborn of Egypt both of man and beast.
9 He hath sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
10 (C)He smote many nations, and slew mighty Kings:
11 As Sihon King of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
12 And [l]gave their land for an inheritance, even an inheritance unto Israel his people.
13 Thy Name, O Lord, endureth forever: O Lord, thy remembrance is from generation to generation.
14 For the Lord will [m]judge his people, and be pacified toward his servants.
15 The [n]idols of the heathen are silver and gold, even the work of men’s hands.
16 They have a mouth, and speak not: they have eyes and see not.
17 They have ears and hear not, neither is there any breath in their mouth.
18 They that make them, are like unto them: so are all that trust in them.
19 Praise the Lord, ye house of Israel: praise the Lord, ye house of Aaron.
20 Praise the Lord, ye house of Levi; ye that fear the Lord, praise the Lord.
21 Praised be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth in Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.
136 1 A most earnest exhortation to give thanks unto God for the creation and governance of all things, which standeth in confessing that he giveth us all of his mere liberality.
1 Praise ye the Lord, because he is good: for his [o]mercy endureth forever.
2 Praise ye the God of gods: for his mercy endureth forever:
3 Praise ye the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth forever:
4 Which only doeth great wonders; for his mercy endureth forever:
5 Which by his wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth forever:
6 Which hath stretched out the earth upon the waters: for his [p]mercy endureth forever:
7 Which made great lights: for his mercy endureth forever:
8 As the Sun to rule the day; for his mercy endureth forever:
9 The Moon and the stars to govern the night: for his mercy endureth forever:
10 Which smote Egypt with their firstborn, (for his mercy endureth forever)
11 And [q]brought out Israel from among them; for his mercy endureth forever:
12 With a mighty hand and [r]stretched out arm; for his mercy endureth forever:
13 Which divideth the Sea into two parts; for his mercy endureth forever:
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it; for his mercy endureth forever:
15 And overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea; for his mercy endureth forever:
16 Which led his people through the [s]wilderness; for his mercy endureth forever:
17 Which smote great Kings: for his mercy endureth forever:
18 And slew [t]mighty Kings: for his mercy endureth forever:
19 As Sihon King of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth forever:
20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth forever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage; for his mercy endureth forever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant; for his mercy endureth forever:
23 Which remembered us in our [u]base estate; for his mercy endureth forever:
24 And hath rescued us from our oppressors; for his mercy endureth forever:
25 Which giveth food to all [v]flesh; for his mercy endureth forever:
26 [w]Praise ye the God of heaven; for his mercy endureth forever.
137 1 The people of God in their banishment seeing God’s true Religion decay, lived in great anguish and sorrow of heart: the which grief the Chaldeans did so little pity, 3 That they rather increased the same daily with taunts, reproaches and blasphemies against God. 7 Wherefore the Israelites desire God, first to punish the Edomites, who provoked the Babylonians against them, 8 And moved by the Spirit of God, prophesy the destruction of Babylon, where they were handled so tyrannously.
1 By the rivers of Babel we [x]sat, and there we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst [y]thereof.
3 Then they that led us captive, [z]required of us songs and mirth, when we had hanged up our harps, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing, said we, a song of the Lord in a strange land?
5 [aa]If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget to play.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth: yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem to my [ab]chief joy.
7 Remember the children of [ac]Edom, O Lord, in the [ad]day of Jerusalem, which said, Raze it, raze it to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babel, worthy to be destroyed, blessed shall he be that rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us.
9 [ae]Blessed shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones.
138 1 David with great courage praiseth the goodness of God toward him, the which is so great, 4 That it is known to foreign princes, who shall praise the Lord together with him. 6 And he is assured to have the like comfort of God in the time following, as he had heretofore.
A Psalm of David.
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: even before the [af]gods will I praise thee.
2 I will worship toward thine holy [ag]Temple and praise thy Name, because of thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy Name above all things by thy word.
3 When I called, then thou heardest me, and hast [ah]increased strength in my soul.
4 All the [ai]kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord: for they have heard the words of thy mouth.
5 And they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord is great.
6 For the Lord is high, yet he beholdeth the lowly, but the proud he knoweth [aj]afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, yet wilt thou revive me: thou wilt stretch forth thine hand upon the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will [ak]perform his work toward me: O Lord, thy mercy endureth forever: forsake not the works of thine hands.
139 1 David cleanseth his heart from all hypocrisy, showeth that there is nothing so hid, which God seeth not. 13 Which he confirmeth by the creation of man. 14 After declaring his zeal and fear of God, he professeth to be enemy to all them that contemn God.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, thou hast tried me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my [al]sitting and my rising: thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou [am]compassest my paths, and my lying down, and art accustomed to all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my [an]tongue, but lo, thou knowest it wholly, O Lord.
5 Thou holdest me strait behind and before, and layest thine [ao]hand upon me.
6 Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is so high that I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy [ap]Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I lie down in hell, thou art there.
9 Let me take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
10 Yet thither shall thine hand [aq]lead me, and thy right hand hold me.
11 If I say, Yet the darkness shall hide me, even the night shall be [ar]light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and light are both alike.
13 For thou hast [as]possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee, for I am [at]fearfully and wondrously made: marvelous are thy works, and my soul knoweth it well.
15 My bones are not hid from thee, though I was made in a secret place, and fashioned [au]beneath in the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see me, when I was without form: [av]for in thy book were all things written, which in continuance were fashioned, when there was none of them before.
17 How [aw]dear therefore are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more than the sand: when I awake, [ax]I am still with thee.
19 Oh that thou wouldest [slay], O God, the wicked and bloody men, to whom I say, Depart ye from me:
20 Which speak wickedly of thee, and being thine enemies are lifted up in vain.
21 Do not I [ay]hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and do not I earnestly contend with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with an unfeigned hatred, as they were mine utter enemies.
23 Try me, O God, and know mine heart: prove me and know my thoughts,
24 And consider if there be any [az]way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the [ba]way forever.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.