Psalms 137; Psalms 138; Psalms 139; 1 Corinthians 13

1 We were sitting by the rivers of Babylon. We cried when we remembered what had happened to Zion.

2 On the nearby poplar trees we hung up our harps.

3 Those who held us as prisoners asked us to sing. Those who enjoyed hurting us ordered us to sing joyful songs. They said, "Sing one of the songs of Zion to us!"

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while we are in another land?

5 Jerusalem, if I forget you, may my right hand never be able to play the harp again.

6 If I don't remember you, may my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth so I can't sing. May it happen if I don't consider Jerusalem to be my greatest joy.

7 Lord, remember what the people of Edom did on the day Jerusalem fell. "Tear it down!" they cried. "Tear it down to the ground!"

8 People of Babylon, you are sentenced to be destroyed. Happy are those who pay you back for what you have done to us.

9 Happy are those who grab your babies and smash them against the rocks.

1 Lord, I will praise you with all my heart. In front of those who think they are gods I will sing praise to you.

2 I will bow down facing your holy temple. I will praise your name, because you are loving and faithful. You have honored your name and your word more than anything else.

3 When I called out to you, you answered me. You made me strong and brave.

4 Lord, may all of the kings on earth praise you when they hear about what you have promised.

5 Lord, may they sing about what you have done, because your glory is great.

6 The LORD is in heaven. But he watches over those who are free of pride. He knows those who are proud and stays far away from them.

7 Trouble is all around me, but you keep me alive. You reach out your hand to put a stop to the anger of my enemies. With your powerful right hand you save me.

8 Lord, you will do everything you have planned for me. Lord, your faithful love continues forever. You have done so much for us. Don't stop now.

1 Lord, you have seen what is in my heart. You know all about me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know what I'm thinking even though you are far away.

3 You know when I go out to work and when I come back home. You know exactly how I live.

4 Lord, even before I speak a word, you know all about it.

5 You are all around me. You are behind me and in front of me. You hold me in your power.

6 I'm amazed at how well you know me. It's more than I can understand.

7 How can I get away from your Spirit? Where can I go to escape from you?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I lie down in the deepest parts of the earth, you are also there.

9 Suppose I were to rise with the sun in the east and then cross over to the west where it sinks into the ocean.

10 Your hand would always be there to guide me. Your right hand would still be holding me close.

11 Suppose I were to say, "I'm sure the darkness will hide me. The light around me will become as dark as night."

12 Even that darkness would not be dark to you. The night would shine like the day, because darkness is like light to you.

13 You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother's body.

14 How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well.

15 None of my bones was hidden from you when you made me inside my mother's body. That place was as dark as the deepest parts of the earth. When you were putting me together there,

16 your eyes saw my body even before it was formed. You planned how many days I would live. You wrote down the number of them in your book before I had lived through even one of them.

17 God, your thoughts about me are priceless. No one can possibly add them all up.

18 If I could count them, they would be more than the grains of sand. If I were to fall asleep counting and then wake up, you would still be there with me.

19 God, I wish you would kill the people who are evil! I wish those murderers would get away from me!

20 They are your enemies. They misuse your name. They misuse it for their own evil purposes.

21 Lord, I really hate those who hate you! I really hate those who rise up against you!

22 I have nothing but hatred for them. I consider them to be my enemies.

23 God, see what is in my heart. Know what is there. Put me to the test. Know what I'm thinking.

24 See if there's anything in my life you don't like. Help me live in the way that is always right.

1 Suppose I speak in the languages of human beings and of angels. If I don't have love, I am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal.

2 Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don't have love, I am nothing at all.

3 Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give my body to be burned. If I don't have love, I get nothing at all.

4 Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud.

5 It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people's wrongs.

6 Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken.

7 It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.

8 Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. Speaking in languages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away.

9 What we know now is not complete. What we prophesy now is not perfect.

10 But when what is perfect comes, the things that are not perfect will pass away.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I had the understanding of a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

12 Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely.

13 The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.