By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down; indeed, we wept
When we  ¹remembered Zion.

On the willows in the midst of it
We hung up our lyres,

For there our captors required of us songs,
And those who tormented us required of us mirth, saying,
Sing for us
One of the songs of Zion.

How can we sing the song of Jehovah
In a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill.

Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
If I do not remember you,
If I do not prefer Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.

Remember, O Jehovah,
 ¹Against the children of Edom,
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, Lay it bare! Lay it bare,
Down to its foundation!

O daughter of Babylon, who are to be devastated,
Happy will he be who repays you
The recompense of what you have rendered to us.

Happy will he be who seizes your little ones
And dashes them against the rock.

Of David

I will  ¹give You thanks with all my heart;
Before the gods I will sing psalms to You.

I will bow toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth,
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

On the day that I called out, You answered me;
You encouraged me with strength in my soul.

All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Jehovah;
For they have heard the words of Your mouth.

And they will sing of the ways of Jehovah,
For great is the glory of Jehovah.

For though Jehovah is high, He regards the lowly;
And the haughty He knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You will preserve me;
Against the wrath of my enemies You will stretch out Your hand,
And Your right hand will save me.

Jehovah will complete that which concerns me.
O Jehovah, Your lovingkindness is forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your own hands.

To the choir director. Of David. A Psalm

O Jehovah, You have  ¹searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thoughts from afar.

You thoroughly search my path and my lying down,
And You are acquainted with all my ways.

For a word is not yet on my tongue,
And already You, O Jehovah, know it completely.

You have closed in on me behind and before
And have laid Your hand on me.

Oh, knowledge too wonderful for me!
It is so high; I cannot attain to it.

Where shall I go, away from Your Spirit,
And where shall I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, there You are.

If I take the wings of the dawn
And settle at the limits of the sea,

There also Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.

And if I say, Surely darkness will cover me,
And the light around me will be night;

Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And night shines like day;
The darkness is like the light.

For it was You who formed my inward parts;
You wove me together in my mother's womb.

I will praise You, for I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
And my soul knows it well.

My frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
Skillfully fashioned in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
And in Your book all of them were written:
The days that were ordained for me,
When not one of them was yet.

And how precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more than the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

Oh that You, O God, would  ¹slay the wicked —
Depart from me therefore, you men of bloodshed —

Those who speak of You with evil intent,
Who as Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Do I not hate those who hate You, O Jehovah?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

I hate them with a perfect hatred;
They have become my own enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there is some  ¹harmful way in me,
And lead me on the eternal way.

To the choir director. A Psalm of David

 ¹Deliver me, O Jehovah, from evil men;
From violent men preserve me;

Who devise evil schemes in their hearts
And continually stir up wars.

They have sharpened their tongues like that of a serpent;
The poison of adders is under their lips. Selah

Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked;
From violent men preserve me;
Who devise schemes to thrust me down.

The proud have hidden a trap for me and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set snares for me. Selah

I said to Jehovah, You are my God;
Give ear, O Jehovah, to the voice of my supplications.

O Jehovah Lord, strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.

O Jehovah, do not grant the desires of the wicked man;
Do not let his evil scheme advance,
Lest he be exalted. Selah

As for the head of those who surround me,
May the mischief of their own lips cover them.

May burning coals drop down upon them;
May they be thrown down into the fire,
Into deep pits, never to rise again.

Let no slanderer be established in the land;
Let evil hunt down the violent man speedily.

I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted
And justice for the needy.

Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The upright will dwell in Your presence.