137.

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, remembering Zion. 2 On the willows, in the midst of it, we hung our harps. (3) For there those who captivated us demanded songs of us, and those who mocked us rejoiced: "Sing to us from the songs of Zion!" (4) How are we to sing the song of God in a foreign land? (5) If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be dumb! (6) Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem at the head of my gladness! (7) Remember, O God, the day of Jerusalem to the sons of Edom, who said, "Destroy it, tear it down!" (8) O daughter of Babylon, doomed to ruin! Happy is the one who will reward you according to what you deserve, according to what you have done to us. (9) Happy is he who takes and breaks your babies against a rock!

138.

(1) David. I will thank Thee with all my heart, I will sing praises to Thee before the mighty. (2) I will bow down to the Temple of Thy holiness, and I will give thanks to Thy name for Thy mercy and for Thy truth, for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name. (3) On the day that I cried out, you answered me, giving my soul cheerfulness. (4) All the kings of the earth will thank you, O God, when they hear the words of your mouth. (5) And they will sing the ways of God, for the glory of God is great. (6) For God is exalted, but He sees the lowly, and chastises the proud from afar. (7) If I am in trouble, you will give me vitality, you will stretch out your hand to the fury of my enemies, and your right hand will save me. (8) God will complete it for me! Thy mercy, O God, endureth for ever: forsake not the work of Thy hands.

139.

(1) To the leader [of the musicians]. Song of David. God! You have tested me and recognized me. (2) You know when I sit down and when I get up, you understand my thoughts from afar. (3) Whether I am on the way, whether I am resting, you surround me, all my ways are known to you. (4) For there is not yet a word on my tongue, but you, O God, already know it perfectly. (5) Behind and in front of me, you encompass me and lay your hand on me. (6) Knowledge is hidden from me—it is high, I cannot comprehend it! (7) Where shall I go from your spirit, whither shall I flee from your countenance? (8) If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I lie down in the grave, there you are. (9) Whether I fly on wings like the dawn, or move to the edge of the sea, (10) and there your hand will lead me, your right hand will hold me. (11) Shall I say: "Only darkness will hide me, night will surround me with darkness." (12) But even darkness will not obscure from you, but the night is as bright as day, like darkness and light. (13) For you have made my intestines,287 you have knitted me in my mother's womb. (14) I give you glory, for I am wonderfully built. Wondrous are Thy creations, and my soul is fully aware of this. (15) My essence is not hidden from you, for I was created in secret, woven in the bowels of the earth. (16) Thy eyes have seen my embryo; in Thy book all things are recorded: the days created for me are all one for Him[289]. (17) How dear to me are your thoughts, O God, how powerful are their beginnings! (18) I will count them, for they are more numerous than sand; even if I be awake all my life, I am with You[290]. (19) Oh, that You, the Almighty, had struck down the evildoer! The bloodthirsty would have left me! (20) They exalt you deceitfully, and in vain do your enemies exalt you. (21) Do I not hate those who hate you, O God, and do I not fight against those who rebel against you? (22) I hate them with complete hatred: they have become my enemies. (23) Try me, O God, know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts, (24) and see, if I am on the corruptible path, then direct me to the path of eternity.

140.

(1) To the leader [of the musicians], the song of David. (2) Deliver me, O God, from the wicked man, keep me from the thief. (3) From those who plot evil in their hearts, every day they take up arms against battle. (4) They sharpen their tongues like a serpent, the venom of an adder under their mouths, truly! (5) Preserve me, O God, from the hands of the evildoer, from the robber, from those who plot to shake my feet. (6) The haughty ones hide snares and nooses for me, spread their nets at the bend of the road, and lay out snares for me forever. (7) I said to God, "You are my Almighty! Hear, O God, the voice of my supplications! (8) God, my Lord, is the power of my salvation, who covered my head on the day when they came for me with weapons. (9) God forbid the passions of the evildoer to be realized, do not allow his evil plan to come true: they will become proud forever! 10 May the heads of those around me be covered with the deception of their own mouths! (11) Let hot coals fall on them, and he will cast them into the fire, into deep pits, so that they will not get up. (12) A man with evil tongues will not be established on earth. Evil will drag the robber into the abysses. (13) I know that God will execute judgment on the oppressed, and justice on the poor. (14) Only the righteous will praise Your name, but the honest will dwell before You."

141.