1
Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept
as we thought of Jerusalem. 1
2
We put away our harps,
hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.
3
For our captors demanded a song from us.
Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn:
“Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”
4
But how can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a pagan land?
5
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget how to play the harp.
6
May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I fail to remember you,
if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.
7
O Lord , remember what the Edomites did
on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem.
“Destroy it!” they yelled.
“Level it to the ground!”
8
O Babylon, you will be destroyed.
Happy is the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us.
9
Happy is the one who takes your babies
and smashes them against the rocks!