Psalm 137

Psalm 137

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

as we remembered Zion. 

²We hung our lyres on willow trees. 

³It 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!” 

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

⁵If I forget you, Jerusalem, 

let my right hand forget ⸤how to play the lyre⸥. 

⁶Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth 

if I don’t remember you, 

if I don’t consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 

⁷O 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.” 

⁸You destructive people of Babylon, 

blessed is the one who pays you back 

with the same treatment you gave us. 

⁹Blessed is the one who grabs your little children 

and smashes them against a rock.