137
1
By the rivers of Babylon
we sat down and wept
when we thought about Zion.
2
There on the poplars in the midst of it
we hung our harps.
3
There our captors required songs from us,
and those who mocked us required joy from us, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."
4
How could we sing a song about Yahweh
in a foreign land?
5
If I ignore the memory of you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her skill.
6
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I think about you no more,
if I do not prefer Jerusalem
more than my greatest delights.
7
Call to mind, Yahweh, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
They said, "Tear it down, tear it down
to its foundations."
8
Daughter of Babylon, soon to be destroyed—
may the person be blessed, whoever pays you back
for what you have done to us.
9
May the person be blessed,
whoever takes and dashes your little ones against a rock.