1 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
2 Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
3 For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormentors, jubilation, saying,
“Sing for us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How can we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
7 Remember, Lord, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Those who said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare
To its foundation!”
8 Daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
Blessed will be one who repays you
With the retribution with which you have repaid us.
9 Blessed will be one who seizes and dashes your children
Against the rock.