Psalm 133

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!^[1]²It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! ³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

[1] Or dwell together

Psalm 134

Come, Bless the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

134:1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! ²Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!

³May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!

Psalm 135

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

135:1 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, ²who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! ³Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!^[2]⁴For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.

⁵For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. ⁶Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. ⁷He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

⁸He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast; ⁹who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; ¹⁰who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, ¹¹Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, ¹²and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.

¹³Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown,[3] O Lord, throughout all ages. ¹⁴For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. ¹⁶They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; ¹⁷they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. ¹⁸Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!

¹⁹O house of Israel, bless the Lord! O house of Aaron, bless the Lord! ²⁰O house of Levi, bless the Lord! You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord! ²¹Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the Lord!

[2] Or for he is beautiful [3] Or remembrance

Psalm 136

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. ²Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. ³Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁴to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; ⁵to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; ⁶to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; ⁷to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; ⁸the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; ⁹the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁰to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹¹and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹²with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹³to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹⁴and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹⁵but overthrew[4] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹⁶to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁷to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹⁸and killed mighty kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; ¹⁹Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever; ²⁰and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever; ²¹and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever; ²²a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever.

²³It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; ²⁴and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; ²⁵he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.

²⁶Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

[4] Hebrew shook off

Psalm 137

How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?

137:1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. ²On the willows[5] there we hung up our lyres. ³For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? ⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! ⁶Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!

⁷Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!” ⁸O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! ⁹Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

[5] Or poplars

Psalm 138

Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

138:1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; ²I bow down toward your 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.^[6]³On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.^[7]

⁴All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, ⁵and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. ⁶For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. ⁸The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

[6] Or you have exalted your word above all your name [7] Hebrew you made me bold in my soul with strength

Psalm 139

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139:1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! ²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. ³You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. ⁵You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? ⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! ⁹If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, ¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. ¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” ¹²even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

¹³For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[8]Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. ¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

¹⁹Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! ²⁰They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain!^[9]²¹Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? ²²I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!^[10]²⁴And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting![11]

[8] Or for I am fearfully set apart [9] Hebrew lacks your name [10] Or cares [11] Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16)