Psalms 136-142

Psalm 136

¹Give ye thanks to Jehovah, For good, for to the age is His kindness.

²Give ye thanks to the God of gods, For to the age is His kindness.

³Give ye thanks to the Lord of lords, For to the age is His kindness.

⁴To Him doing great wonders by Himself alone, For to the age is His kindness.

⁵To Him making the heavens by understanding, For to the age is His kindness.

⁶To Him spreading the earth over the waters, For to the age is His kindness.

⁷To Him making great lights, For to the age is His kindness.

⁸The sun to rule by day, For to the age is His kindness.

⁹The moon and stars to rule by night, For to the age is His kindness.

¹⁰To Him smiting Egypt in their first-born, For to the age is His kindness.

¹¹And bringing forth Israel from their midst, For to the age is His kindness.

¹²By a strong hand, and a stretched-out-arm, For to the age is His kindness.

¹³To Him cutting the sea of Suph into parts, For to the age is His kindness,

¹⁴And caused Israel to pass through its midst, For to the age is His kindness,

¹⁵And shook out Pharaoh and his force in the sea of Suph, For to the age is His kindness.

¹⁶To Him leading His people in a wilderness, For to the age is His kindness.

¹⁷To Him smiting great kings, For to the age is His kindness.

¹⁸Yea, He doth slay honourable kings, For to the age is His kindness.

¹⁹Even Sihon king of the Amorite, For to the age is His kindness.

²⁰And Og king of Bashan, For to the age is His kindness.

²¹And He gave their land for inheritance, For to the age is His kindness.

²²An inheritance to Israel His servant, For to the age is His kindness.

²³Who in our lowliness hath remembered us, For to the age is His kindness.

²⁴And He delivereth us from our adversaries, For to the age is His kindness.

²⁵Giving food to all flesh, For to the age is His kindness.

²⁶Give ye thanks to the God of the heavens, For to the age is His kindness!

Psalm 137

¹By rivers of Babylon -- There we did sit, Yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.

²On willows in its midst we hung our harps.

³For there our captors asked us the words of a song, And our spoilers -- joy: ‘Sing ye to us of a song of Zion.'

⁴How do we sing the song of Jehovah, On the land of a stranger?

⁵If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand forgetteth!

⁶My tongue doth cleave to my palate, If I do not remember thee, If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

⁷Remember, Jehovah, for the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Those saying, ‘Rase, rase to its foundation!'

⁸O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us.

⁹O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!

Psalm 138

¹By David. I confess Thee, with all my heart, Before the gods I do praise Thee.

²I bow myself toward Thy holy temple, And I confess Thy name, For Thy kindness, and for Thy truth, For Thou hast made great Thy saying above all Thy name.

³In the day I called, when Thou dost answer me, Thou dost strengthen me in my soul with strength.

⁴O Jehovah, all kings of earth confess Thee, When they have heard the sayings of Thy mouth.

⁵And they sing in the ways of Jehovah, For great is the honour of Jehovah.

⁶For high is Jehovah, and the lowly He seeth, And the haughty from afar He knoweth.

⁷If I walk in the midst of distress Thou quickenest me, Against the anger of mine enemies Thou sendest forth Thy hand, And Thy right hand doth save me.

⁸Jehovah doth perfect for me, O Jehovah, Thy kindness is to the age, The works of Thy hands let not fall!

Psalm 139

¹To the Overseer. -- A Psalm by David. Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and knowest.

²Thou -- Thou hast known my sitting down, And my rising up, Thou hast attended to my thoughts from afar.

³My path and my couch Thou hast fanned, And with all my ways hast been acquainted.

⁴For there is not a word in my tongue, Lo, O Jehovah, Thou hast known it all!

⁵Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand.

⁶Knowledge too wonderful for me, It hath been set on high, I am not able for it.

⁷Whither do I go from Thy Spirit? And whither from Thy face do I flee?

⁸If I ascend the heavens -- there Thou art, And spread out a couch in Sheol, lo, Thee!

⁹I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea,

¹⁰Also there Thy hand doth lead me, And Thy right hand doth hold me.

¹¹And I say, ‘Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night is light to me.

¹²Also darkness hideth not from Thee, And night as day shineth, as is darkness so is light.

¹³For Thou -- Thou hast possessed my reins, Thou dost cover me in my mother's belly.

¹⁴I confess Thee, because that with wonders I have been distinguished. Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul is knowing it well.

¹⁵My substance was not hid from Thee, When I was made in secret, Curiously wrought in the lower part of earth.

¹⁶Mine unformed substance Thine eyes saw, And on Thy book all of them are written, The days they were formed -- And not one among them.

¹⁷And to me how precious have been Thy thoughts, O God, how great hath been their sum!

¹⁸I recount them! than the sand they are more, I have waked, and I am still with Thee.

¹⁹Dost Thou slay, O God, the wicked? Then, men of blood, turn aside from me!

²⁰Who exchange Thee for wickedness, Lifted up to vanity are Thine enemies.

²¹Do not I hate, Jehovah, those hating Thee? And with Thy withstanders grieve myself?

²²With perfect hatred I have hated them, Enemies they have become to me.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart, Try me, and know my thoughts,

²⁴And see if a grievous way be in me, And lead me in a way age-during!

Psalm 140

¹To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O Jehovah, from an evil man, From one of violence Thou keepest me.

²Who have devised evils in the heart, All the day they assemble for wars.

³They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder is under their lips. Selah.

⁴Preserve me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked, From one of violence Thou keepest me, Who have devised to overthrow my steps.

⁵The proud hid a snare for me -- and cords, They spread a net by the side of the path, Snares they have set for me. Selah.

⁶I have said to Jehovah, ‘My God art Thou, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of my supplications.'

⁷O Jehovah, my Lord, strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of armour.

⁸Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked, His wicked device bring not forth, They are high. Selah.

⁹The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them.

¹⁰They cause to fall on themselves burning coals, Into fire He doth cast them, Into deep pits -- they arise not.

¹¹A talkative man is not established in the earth, One of violence -- evil hunteth to overflowing.

¹²I have known that Jehovah doth execute The judgment of the afflicted, The judgment of the needy.

¹³Only -- the righteous give thanks to Thy name, The upright do dwell with Thy presence!

Psalm 141

¹A Psalm, by David. O Jehovah, I have called Thee, haste to me, Give ear to my voice when I call to Thee.

²My prayer is prepared -- incense before Thee, The lifting up of my hands -- the evening present.

³Set, O Jehovah, a watch for my mouth, Watch Thou over the door of my lips.

⁴Incline not my heart to an evil thing, To do habitually actions in wickedness, With men working iniquity, Yea, I eat not of their pleasant things.

⁵The righteous doth beat me in kindness. And doth reprove me, Oil of the head my head disalloweth not, For still my prayer is about their vexations.

⁶Their judges have been released by the sides of a rock, And they have heard my sayings, For they have been pleasant.

⁷As one tilling and ripping up in the land, Have our bones been scattered at the command of Saul.

⁸But to Thee, O Jehovah, my Lord, are mine eyes, In Thee I have trusted, Make not bare my soul.

⁹Keep me from the gin they laid for me, Even snares of workers of iniquity.

¹⁰The wicked fall in their nets together, till I pass over!

Psalm 142

¹An Instruction of David, a Prayer when he is in the cave. My voice is unto Jehovah, I cry, My voice is unto Jehovah, I entreat grace.

²I pour forth before Him my meditation, My distress before Him I declare.

³When my spirit hath been feeble in me, Then Thou hast known my path; In the way in which I walk, They have hid a snare for me.

⁴Looking on the right hand -- and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul.

⁵I have cried unto thee, O Jehovah, I have said, ‘Thou art my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.'

⁶Attend Thou unto my loud cry, For I have become very low, Deliver Thou me from my pursuers, For they have been stronger than I.

⁷Bring forth from prison my soul to confess Thy name, The righteous do compass me about, When Thou conferrest benefits upon me!