Psalms
The Psalter is Israel’s hymnbook: lament, praise, thanksgiving, royal psalms, and wisdom. It trains the heart to speak to God in trouble and in joy, and it points ahead to the Messiah.
Catholic Public Domain Version
Psalms 136
1A Psalm of David: to Jeremiah. Above the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, while we remembered Zion. 2By the willow trees, in their midst, we hung up our instruments. 3For, in that place, those who led us into captivity questioned us about the words of the songs. And those who carried us away said: “Sing us a hymn from the songs of Zion.” 4How can we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land? 5If I ever forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. 6May my tongue adhere to my jaws, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem first, as the beginning of my joy. 7O Lord, call to mind the sons of Edom, in the day of Jerusalem, who say: “Despoil it, despoil it, even to its foundation.” 8O daughter of Babylon, have pity. Blessed is he who will repay you with your payment, which you have paid to us. 9Blessed is he who will take hold of your little ones and dash them against the rock.
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