1-3. Alongside Babylon’s riverswe sat on the banks; we cried and cried,remembering the good old days in Zion.Alongside the quaking aspenswe stacked our unplayed harps;That’s where our captors demanded songs,sarcastic and mocking:“Sing us a happy Zion song!”
4-6. Oh, how could we ever sing God’s songin this wasteland?If I ever forget you, Jerusalem,let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves.Let my tongue swell and turn blackif I fail to remember you,If I fail, O dear Jerusalem,to honor you as my greatest.
7-9. God, remember those Edomites,and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,That day they yelled out,“Wreck it, smash it to bits!”And you, Babylonians—ravagers!A reward to whoever gets back at youfor all you’ve done to us;Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babiesand smashes their heads on the rocks!