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Psalms 137

A Lament of Israelites in Exile

1By the rivers of Babylon we sat down;

there we wept when we remembered Zion.

2On the willows near by

we hung up our harps.

3Those who captured us told us to sing;

they told us to entertain them:

“Sing us a song about Zion.”

4How can we sing a song to the LORD

in a foreign land?

5May I never be able to play the harp again

if I forget you, Jerusalem!

6May I never be able to sing again

if I do not remember you,

if I do not think of you as my greatest joy!

7Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did

the day Jerusalem was captured.

Remember how they kept saying,

“Tear it down to the ground!”

8Babylon, you will be destroyed.

Happy are those who pay you back

for what you have done to us —

9who take your babies

and smash them against a rock.

Notes for verses 8–91 entry

Cross-references

CopyrightGood News Translation® with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Anglicisation © The British and Foreign Bible Society 1976, 1994, 2004 Additional material © The British and Foreign Bible Society 2017 The copyright for the derivative work of Anglicisation pertains only to the text within the Good News Translation (GNT) that British and Foreign Bible Society adapted for British literary usage, consistent with Section 103(b) of the United States Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 103(b). Bible text from the Good News Translation (GNT) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (www.americanbible.org). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.