Psalms 137

¹ How Shall We Sing the Lord ’s Song? By the waters of Babylon , there we sat down and wept , when we remembered Zion .

² On the willows there we hung up our lyres .

³ For there our captors required of us songs , and our tormentors , mirth , saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion !

⁴ How shall we sing the Lord ’s song in a foreign land ?

⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem , let my right hand forget its skill!

⁶ Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth , if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy !

⁷ Remember , O Lord , against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem , how they said , Lay it bare , lay it bare , down to its foundations !

⁸ O daughter of Babylon , doomed to be destroyed , blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us !

⁹ Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock !

¹ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

² There on the poplars we hung our harps,

³ for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴ How can we sing the songs of the Lord while 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 consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

⁷ Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”

⁸ Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.

⁹ Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

¹ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

² We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

³ For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying , Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

⁴ How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

⁵ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning .

⁶ If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

⁷ Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it , rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

⁸ O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be , that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

⁹ Happy shall he be , that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. Psalm 136 Books Psalm 138