Psalms 137

A Lament in Exile

1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, we cried, When we remembered Zion.

2 On the willows in the middle of it We hung our guitars.

3 Because there our captors asked us for a song, And those who messed with us for some fun, “Sing 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, 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 put Jerusalem Above my highest happiness.

A Curse on Babylon

7 Remember, Lord, the sons of Edom In the day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Tear it down, tear it down To its foundation!”

8 O daughter of Babylon, you who will be destroyed, Happy is the one who pays you back for what you did to us.

9 Happy is the one who grabs your little ones And smashes them against the rock.