137 Junto a los ríos de Babilonia nos sentábamos
    y llorábamos al acordarnos de Sión.
En los álamos que allí había
    colgábamos nuestras arpas.
Allí, los que nos tenían cautivos nos pedían que entonáramos canciones;
    nuestros opresores nos pedían estar alegres;
    nos decían: «¡Cántennos un cántico de Sión!».

¿Cómo cantar las canciones del Señor
    en una tierra extraña?
Si me olvido de ti, Jerusalén,
    ¡que mi mano derecha pierda su destreza!
Si de ti no me acordara
    ni te pusiera por encima de mi propia alegría,
    ¡que la lengua se me pegue al paladar!

Señor, acuérdate de los edomitas
    el día en que cayó Jerusalén.
«¡Arrásenla!» —gritaban—
    «¡Arrásenla hasta sus cimientos!».
Hija de Babilonia, que has de ser destruida,
    ¡dichoso el que te haga pagar
    por todo lo que nos has hecho!
¡Dichoso el que agarre a tus pequeños
    y los estrelle contra las rocas!

Israelites in Captivity

137 By the rivers in Babylon we sat and cried
    when we remembered Jerusalem.
On the poplar trees nearby
    we hung our harps.
Those who captured us asked us to sing.
    Our enemies wanted happy songs.
    They said, “Sing us a Temple song from Jerusalem!”

But we cannot sing songs about the Lord
    while we are in this foreign country!
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
    let my right hand lose its skill.
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
    if I do not remember you.
Let these things happen if I do not think about Jerusalem
    as my greatest joy.

Lord, remember what the Edomites did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.
They said, “Tear it down!
    Tear it down to its foundations!”

People of Babylon, you will be destroyed.
    The people who pay you back will be happy.
    They will punish you for what you did to us.
They will grab your babies
    and throw them against the rocks.

137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.