Psalm 137

Lament of the Exiles

By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.(A)
There we hung up our lyres
on the poplar trees,(B)
for our captors there asked us for songs,
and our tormentors, for rejoicing:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”(C)

How can we sing the Lord’s song
on foreign soil?(D)
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.(E)
May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!(F)

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said
that day[a] at Jerusalem:
“Destroy it! Destroy it
down to its foundations!” (G)
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us.(H)
Happy is he who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rocks.(I)

Footnotes

  1. 137:7 The day Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC

Bible Gateway Recommends

CSB She Reads Truth Bible, Navy LeatherTouch
CSB She Reads Truth Bible, Navy LeatherTouch
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $30.99
Save: $19.00 (38%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
CSB Men's Daily Bible, Hardcover
CSB Men's Daily Bible, Hardcover
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $25.99
Save: $14.00 (35%)
CSB Apologetics Study Bible, Mahogany LeatherTouch, Thumb-Indexed
CSB Apologetics Study Bible, Mahogany LeatherTouch, Thumb-Indexed
Retail: $69.99
Our Price: $48.99
Save: $21.00 (30%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
CSB Nurse's Bible, Navy LeatherTouch
CSB Nurse's Bible, Navy LeatherTouch
Retail: $24.99
Our Price: $18.99
Save: $6.00 (24%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
CSB Everyday Study Bible--soft leather-look, British tan
CSB Everyday Study Bible--soft leather-look, British tan
Retail: $34.99
Our Price: $24.99
Save: $10.00 (29%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars