Psalm 137

Psalm 137

1. 1 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept 1 as we thought of Jerusalem.[a]

2. We put away our harps, 2 hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.

3. For our captors demanded a song from us. 3 Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: 3 “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”

4. But how can we sing the songs of the Lord 4 while in a pagan land?

5. If I forget you, O Jerusalem, 5 let my right hand forget how to play the harp.

6. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth 6 if I fail to remember you, 6 if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.

7. O Lord, remember what the Edomites did 7 on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. 7 “Destroy it!” they yelled. 7 “Level it to the ground!”

8. O Babylon, you will be destroyed. 8 Happy is the one who pays you back 8 for what you have done to us.

9. Happy is the one who takes your babies 9 and smashes them against the rocks!

Footnotes:
a. 137:1: Hebrew Zion; also in 137:3.