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137 We sat by the rivers in Babylon
    and cried as we remembered Zion.
We hung our harps nearby, there on the willow trees.[a]
There in Babylon, those who captured us told us to sing.
    Our enemies told us to entertain them.
    They said, “Sing us one of your songs about Zion.”
But we cannot sing the Lord’s songs
    in a foreign country!
Jerusalem, if I ever forget you,
    may I never play a song again.
If I fail to remember you,
    may I never sing again.
I will always remember Jerusalem
    as my greatest joy!

Lord, be sure to punish the Edomites for what they did
    when Jerusalem was captured.
They shouted, “Destroy its buildings!
    Pull them down to the ground!”
Babylon, you will be destroyed!
    Bless the one who pays you back for what you did to us.
Bless the one who grabs your babies
    and smashes them against a rock.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 137:2 These instruments were used to praise God in the Temple in Jerusalem. Since it was destroyed, the people had no reason to play the songs.

Salmo 137 (136)

Si me olvido de ti, Jerusalén

137 Junto a los ríos de Babilonia
nos sentábamos entre lágrimas
al recordar a Sión.
En los álamos que allí había,
colgábamos nuestras cítaras.
Quienes nos deportaron
nos pedían canciones,
alegría quienes nos estaban oprimiendo:
“¡Cantadnos un canto de Sión!”.
¿Cómo cantaremos un canto al Señor
si estamos en tierra extraña?
Que pierda mi diestra su destreza
si me olvido de ti, Jerusalén;
que mi lengua se pegue al paladar
si no me acuerdo de ti,
si no hago de Jerusalén
la cima de mi alegría.
Recuerda Señor a los hijos de Edom,
que el día de Jerusalén decían:
“¡Arrasad, arrasadla hasta los cimientos!”.
Tú, Babilonia, serás devastada.
¡Feliz quien te haga
lo que tú nos hiciste!
¡Feliz quien tome a tus niños
y los lance contra la roca!

Psalm 137

By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
    when we remembered Zion.(C)
There on the poplars(D)
    we hung our harps,(E)
for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)

How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
    while in a foreign land?
If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
    if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
    my highest joy.

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them(R) against the rocks.