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