Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yes, we wept, when we remembered Tziyon.

² We hung up our kinnorot (lyres) upon the willows in the midst thereof.

³ For there they that carried us away captive required of us a shir (song); and they that tormented us required of us simchah, saying, Sing us one of the Shir Tziyon.

⁴ How shall we sing Shir Hashem in an admat nekhar (foreign land).

⁵ If I forget thee, O Yerushalayim, let my yamin (right hand) forget [i.e., have paralysis].

⁶ If I do not remember thee, let my leshon cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Yerushalayim above my rosh simchah (chief joy).

⁷ Remember, Hashem, the Bnei Edom in the Yom Yerushalayim; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to the yesod (foundation) thereof.

⁸ O Bat Bavel, who art to be destroyed, ashrei shall he be, that repayeth thee the gemul thou hast done to us.

⁹ Ashrei shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy olalim against the sela.

¹⁶ For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with mayim, because the Menachem (comforter) that should refresh my nefesh is far from me; my children are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed.

¹⁷ Tziyon stretcheth forth her hands, yet there is no Menachem (comforter) for her; Hashem hath commanded concerning Ya’akov, that his adversaries should be round about him; Yerushalayim is as a niddah (menstruous woman) among them.

¹⁸ Tzaddik is Hashem; for I have rebelled against His mouth; hear, I pray you, kol amim (all people), and behold my sorrow; my betulot and my bochurim are gone into captivity.

¹⁹ I called for my lovers, but they have deceived me; my kohanim and my zekenim gave up the ghost (i.e., expired) in HaIr (the City), while they sought okhel (food) to revive their nefashot.

²⁰ Consider, O Hashem how I am in distress; my bowels are troubled; mine lev is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled; without (i.e., outside), the cherev (sword) bereaveth, within (i.e., babayit, at home) it is like mavet (death).

²¹ They have heard that I sigh; there is no Menachem (comforter); all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that Thou hast done it; Thou bringest the Yom Karata (the day that Thou has proclaimed), that they (all the peoples; see 1:18) may be like me.

²² Let all their wickedness come before Thee; and do unto them, as Thou hast done unto me for all my peysha’im; for my sighs are many, and my lev is faint.

² Consider it all simcha, my Achim b’Moshiach, whenever you fall into various nisayonos (tests, trials),

³ Because you have da’as that the emunah you have, when it is tested, produces savlanut (patient endurance).

⁴ And let savlanut be shleimah in its po’al (work) in order that you may be mevugarim (mature, grown up) and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any one of you is lacking chochmah (wisdom), let him direct tefillah (prayer) and techinot (petitions) to Hashem, the One whose matanot (gifts) are given generously and without grudging, and chochmah will be given to him. [MELACHIM ALEF 3:9,10; MISHLE 2:3-6; TEHILLIM 51:6; DANIEL 1:17; 2:21]

⁶ But let the tefillah be offered with much bitachon in emunah (faith), in no way doubting. For the doubtful man, wavering in emunah, is like a wave of the yam (sea) being tossed by the wind. [MELACHIM ALEF 18:21]

⁷ Let not such a one presume that he will receive anything from Adoneinu.

⁸ He is an ish (man) of double mind, in all his drakhim (ways), mesupak (uncertain, having doubts) and unstable. [TEHILLIM 119:113]

⁹ But let the Ach b’Moshiach of shiflut (lowliness) glory in the da’as that Hashem will exalt him.

¹⁰ And let the Ach b’Moshiach who has osher (riches) glory in his bizyoinos (humiliation), in the da’as that Hashem will bring him low, because KOL HABASAR KHATZIR ("All flesh is grass," YESHAYAH 40:6,7) and so he likewise will vanish. [IYOV 14:2; TEHILLIM 103:15,16]

¹¹ For the shemesh (sun) rises with its burning heat and dried the grass and its TZITZ NAVEL ("flower blossom falls" YESHAYAH 40:6-8) And the beauty of its appearance perished, so also the “oisher” (rich man) in his goings will fade away. [TEHILLIM 102:4,11]