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Psalm 137

A psalm of exile, mourning by the rivers of Babylon. The captives hung their harps on willows when their captors demanded songs of Zion. If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. The psalm ends with shocking imprecatory language against Babylon.

PsalmsPsalm 137 of 1509 versesBerean Standard Bible

In this passage: JerusalemBabylon

If God speaks to you through Psalm 137, record what He said in Doxa and come back to it.

1

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

2

There on the willows we hung our harps,

3

for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of Zion.”

4

How can we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?

5

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand cease to function.

6

May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!

7

Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!”

8

O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us.

9

Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

How to Hear God’s Voice: A Practical Guide for BelieversScripture is the record of a God who speaks. This guide covers how to hear Him today and keep what He says.

Cross-references for Psalm 137

  • Psalm 137:1Ezekiel 1:1

    “In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.”

  • Psalm 137:7Lamentations 4:21

    “So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. Yet the cup will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself.”

  • Psalm 137:8Revelation 18:6

    “Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.”

  • Psalm 137:9Isaiah 13:16

    “Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished.”

  • Psalm 137:9Hosea 13:16

    “Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.”

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, licensed CC BY.

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If God speaks to you through Psalm 137

Doxa is where you record what God has said to you, in the words it came in, weigh it against Scripture with people you trust, and come back to it in the years that follow.

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