1 By the rivers in Babylon we sat and cried when we remembered Jerusalem.
2 On the poplar trees nearby we hung our harps.
3 Those who captured us asked us to sing; our enemies wanted happy songs. They said, "Sing us a song about Jerusalem!"
4 But we cannot sing songs about the Lord while we are in this foreign country!
5 Jerusalem, if I forget you, let my right hand lose its skill.
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not think about Jerusalem as my greatest joy.
7 Lord, remember what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, "Tear it down! Tear it down to its foundations!"
8 People of Babylon, you will be destroyed. The people who pay you back for what you did to us will be happy.
9 They will grab your babies and throw them against the rocks. A psalm of David.