rd

Psalms 137

1 The people of God in their banishment seeing God’s true religion decay, lived in great anguish and sorrow of heart: the which grief the Chaldeans did so little pitie, 3 That thei rather increased the same daiely with tauntes, reproaches, and blasphemies against God 7 Wherefore the Israelites desire God, first to punish the Edomites, who provoked the Babylonians against them, 8 And moved by the Spirit of God, prophecie the destruction of Babylon, where thie were handled so tyrannously.
1.By the rivers of Babél we asate, and there we wept, when we remembred Zión.
2.We hanged our harpes upon the willows in the middes bthereof.
3.Then thei that led us captives, crequired of us songs and mirth, when we had hanged up our harpes, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zión.
4.How shal we sing, said we, a song of the Lord in a strange land?
5.dIf I forget thee, ô Jerusalém, let my right hand forget to play.
6.If I do not remembre thee, let my tongue cleave to the rofe of my mouth: yea, if I prefer not Jerusalém to my echief joy.
7.Remember the children of fEdôm, ô Lord, in the gdaie of Jerusalém, which said, Rase it, rase it to the foundation thereof.
8.O daughter of Babél, worthie to be destroyed, blessed shal he be that rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us.
9.hBlessed shal he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones.

Notes

1-a.
That is, we abode a long time: and albeit that the country was pleasant, yet could it not stay our tears, nor turn us from the true service of our God.
2-b.
To wit, of that country.
3-c.
The Babylonians spoke thus in mocking us, as though by our silence we should signify that we hoped no more in God.
5-d.
Albeit the faithful are touched with their particular griefs, yet the common sorrow of the Church is most grievous unto them, and are such as they can not but remember and lament.
6-e.
The decay of God’s religion in their country was so grievous, that no joy could make them glad, except it were restored.
7-f.
According as Ezekiel 25.13 and Jeremiah 49.7 prophecied: and Abdias (Obadiah) verse 10 shows that the Edomites, which came of Esau, conspired with the Babylonians against their brethren and kinfolk.
7-g.
When you did visit Jerusalem.
9-h.
He alludes to Isaiah’s prophecy chapter 13.16 promising good success to Cyrus and Darius, whom ambition moved to fight against Babylon: but God used them as his rods to punish his enemies.