July 14

Psalms 132:1 — 138:8

A Song of the Ascents.

132 Remember, O Jehovah, concerning David

      All his humiliations;

 2 How he swore to Jehovah,

      How he vowed to the Powerful One of Jacob:

 3 “I will not go into the tent of my house.

      I will not go up on the divan of my grand lounge,

 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes,

      Nor slumber to my own beaming eyes,

 5 Until I find a place for Jehovah,

      A grand tabernacle for the Powerful One of Jacob.”

 6 Look! We have heard it in Ephrathah,

      We have found it in the fields of the forest.

 7 Let us come into his grand tabernacle;

      Let us bow down at his footstool.

 8 Do arise, O Jehovah, to your resting-place,

      You and the ark of your strength.

 9 Let your priests themselves be clothed with righteousness,

      And let your own loyal ones cry out joyfully.

10 On account of David your servant,

       Do not turn back the face of your anointed one.

11 Jehovah has sworn to David,

       Truly he will not draw back from it:

       “Of the fruitage of your belly

       I shall set on your throne.

12 If your sons will keep my covenant

       And my reminders that I shall teach them,

       Their sons also forever

       Will sit upon your throne.”

13 For Jehovah has chosen Zion;

       He has longed for it as a dwelling for himself:

14 “This is my resting-place forever;

       Here I shall dwell, for I have longed for it.

15 Its provisions I shall bless without fail.

       Its poor ones I shall satisfy with bread.

16 And its priests I shall clothe with salvation;

       And its loyal ones will without fail cry out joyfully.

17 There I shall cause the horn of David to grow.

       I have set in order a lamp for my anointed one.

18 His enemies I shall clothe with shame;

       But upon him his diadem will flourish.”

A Song of the Ascents. Of David.

133 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

        For brothers to dwell together in unity!

 2 It is like the good oil upon the head,

      That is running down upon the beard,

      Aaron’s beard,

      That is running down to the collar of his garments.

 3 It is like the dew of Hermon

      That is descending upon the mountains of Zion.

      For there Jehovah commanded the blessing [to be],

      [Even] life to time indefinite.

A Song of the Ascents.

134 O bless Jehovah,

       All YOU servants of Jehovah,

       YOU who are standing in the house of Jehovah during the nights.

 2 Raise YOUR hands in holiness

      And bless Jehovah.

 3 May Jehovah bless you out of Zion,

      He the Maker of heaven and earth.

135 Praise Jah, YOU people!

      Praise the name of Jehovah,

      Offer praise, O servants of Jehovah,

 2 YOU who are standing in the house of Jehovah,

      In the courtyards of the house of our God.

 3 Praise Jah, for Jehovah is good.

      Make melody to his name, for it is pleasant.

 4 For Jah has chosen even Jacob for himself,

      Israel for his special property.

 5 For I myself well know that Jehovah is great,

      And our Lord is more than all [other] gods.

 6 Everything that Jehovah delighted [to do] he has done

      In the heavens and in the earth, in the seas and all the watery deeps.

 7 He is causing vapors to ascend from the extremity of the earth;

      He has made even sluices for the rain;

      He is bringing forth the wind from his storehouses,

 8 He who struck down the firstborn ones of Egypt,

      Both man and beast.

 9 He sent signs and miracles into the midst of you, O Egypt,

      Upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants;

10 He who struck down many nations

       And killed potent kings,

11 Even Sihon the king of the Amorites

       And Og the king of Bashan

       And all the kingdoms of Canaan,

12 And who gave their land as an inheritance,

       An inheritance to Israel his people.

13 O Jehovah, your name is to time indefinite.

       O Jehovah, your memorial is to generation after generation.

14 For Jehovah will plead the cause of his people,

       And he will feel regret even over his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

       The work of the hands of earthling man.

16 A mouth they have, but they can speak nothing;

       Eyes they have, but they can see nothing;

17 Ears they have, but they can give ear to nothing.

       Also there exists no spirit in their mouth.

18 Those making them will become just like them,

       Everyone who is trusting in them.

19 O house of Israel, do YOU men bless Jehovah.

       O house of Aaron, do YOU men bless Jehovah.

20 O house of Levi, do YOU men bless Jehovah.

       YOU fearers of Jehovah, bless Jehovah.

21 Blessed out of Zion be Jehovah,

       Who is residing in Jerusalem.

       Praise Jah, YOU people!

136 Give thanks to Jehovah, O YOU people, for he is good:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 2 Give thanks to the God of the gods:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 3 Give thanks to the Lord of the lords:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 4 To the Doer of wonderful, great things by himself:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 5 To the One making the heavens with understanding:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 6 To the One laying out the earth above the waters:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 7 To the One making the great lights:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 8 Even the sun for dominion by day:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

 9 The moon and the stars for combined dominion by night:

      For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

10 To the One striking down Egypt in their firstborn ones:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

11 And the One bringing Israel out of the midst of them:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

12 By a strong hand and by an arm stretched out:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

13 To the One severing the Red Sea into parts:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

14 And who caused Israel to pass through the middle of it:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

15 And who shook off Pharaoh and his military force into the Red Sea:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

16 To the One making his people walk through the wilderness:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

17 To the One striking down great kings:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

18 And who proceeded to kill majestic kings:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

19 Even Sihon the king of the Amorites:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

20 And Og the king of Bashan:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

21 And who gave their land as an inheritance:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

22 An inheritance to Israel his servant:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

23 Who during our low condition remembered us:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

24 And who repeatedly tore us away from our adversaries:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

25 The One giving food to all flesh:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite;

26 Give thanks to the God of the heavens:

       For his loving-kindness is to time indefinite.

137 By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down.

      We also wept when we remembered Zion.

 2 Upon the poplar trees in the midst of her

      We hung our harps.

 3 For there those holding us captive asked us for the words of a song,

      And those mocking us—for rejoicing:

      “SING for us one of the songs of Zion.”

 4 How can we sing the song of Jehovah

      Upon foreign ground?

 5 If I should forget you, O Jerusalem,

      Let my right hand be forgetful.

 6 Let my tongue stick to my palate,

      If I were not to remember you,

      If I were not to make Jerusalem ascend

      Above my chief cause for rejoicing.

 7 Remember, O Jehovah, regarding the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem,

      Who were saying: “Lay [it] bare! Lay [it] bare to the foundation within it!”

 8 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be despoiled,

      Happy will he be that rewards you

      With your own treatment with which you treated us.

 9 Happy will he be that grabs ahold and does dash to pieces

      Your children against the crag.

Of David.

138 I shall laud you with all my heart.

      In front of other gods I shall make melody to you.

 2 I shall bow down toward your holy temple,

      And I shall laud your name,

      Because of your loving-kindness and because of your trueness.

      For you have magnified your saying even above all your name.

 3 On the day that I called, you also proceeded to answer me;

      You began to make me bold in my soul with strength.

 4 All the kings of the earth will laud you, O Jehovah,

      For they will have heard the sayings of your mouth.

 5 And they will sing about the ways of Jehovah,

      For the glory of Jehovah is great.

 6 For Jehovah is high, and yet the humble one he sees;

      But the lofty one he knows only from a distance.

 7 If I should walk in the midst of distress, you will preserve me alive.

      Because of the anger of my enemies you will thrust out your hand,

      And your right hand will save me.

 8 Jehovah himself will complete what is in my behalf.

      O Jehovah, to time indefinite is your loving-kindness.

      Do not desert the works of your own hands.