1 By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and cried

as we remembered Zion.

2 We hung our lyres on willow trees.

3 It was there that those who had captured us demanded that we sing.

Those who guarded us wanted us to entertain them.

⌞They said,⌟ “Sing a song from Zion for us!”

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

5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,

let my right hand forget ⌞how to play the lyre⌟.

6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth

if I don’t remember you,

if I don’t consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

7 O Lord, remember the people of Edom.

Remember what they did the day Jerusalem ⌞was captured⌟.

They said, “Tear it down! Tear it down to its foundation.”

8 You destructive people of Babylon,

blessed is the one who pays you back

with the same treatment you gave us.

9 Blessed is the one who grabs your little children

and smashes them against a rock.