| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. | 1By the rivers of Babylon we sit down and weep when we remember Zion. |
| 2We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. | 2On the poplars in her midst we hang our harps, |
| 3For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” | 3for there our captors ask us to compose songs; those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: "Sing for us a song about Zion!" |
| 4How shall we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land? | 4How can we sing a song to the LORD in a foreign land? |
| 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! | 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand be crippled! |
| 6If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy. | 6May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, and do not give Jerusalem priority over whatever gives me the most joy. |
| 7Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!” | 7Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, "Tear it down, tear it down, right to its very foundation!" |
| 8O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us! | 8O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! How blessed will be the one who repays you for what you dished out to us! |
| 9Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock! | 9How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies and smashes them on a rock! |
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