1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat mourning and weeping when we remembered Zion.
2 On the poplars of that land we hung up our harps.
3 There our captors asked us for the words of a song; Our tormentors, for a joyful song: "Sing for us a song of Zion!"
4 But how could we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither.
6 May my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem beyond all my delights.
7 Remember, LORD, against Edom that day at Jerusalem. They said: "Level it, level it down to its foundations!"
8 Fair Babylon, you destroyer, happy those who pay you back the evil you have done us!
9 Happy those who seize your children and smash them against a rock.