Psalms 137

1 By rivers of Babylon — There we did sit, Yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.

When we [had been taken to] Babylonia, [far from Jerusalem], we sat down by the rivers there, and we cried when we thought about [the temple on] Zion [Hill in Jerusalem].

2 On willows in its midst we hung our harps.

On the willow trees [alongside the rivers] we hung our harps [because we did not want to play them any more because we were very sad].

3 For there our captors asked us the words of a song, And our spoilers — joy: 'Sing ye to us of a song of Zion.'

The [soldiers] who had captured us [and taken us to Babylonia] told us to sing [for them]; they told us to (entertain them/make them happy), saying, “Sing for us one of the songs [that you previously sang in] Jerusalem!”

4 How do we sing the song of Jehovah, On the land of a stranger?

But [we thought], “We [are sad because we have been punished by Yahweh and brought to this] foreign land, so we cannot [RHQ] sing songs about Yahweh while we are here!”

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand forgetteth!

If I forget about Jerusalem [APO], Iet my right hand wither [with the result that I will be unable to play my harp]

6 My tongue doth cleave to my palate, If I do not remember thee, If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Do not allow me to sing again [MTY], if I forget about Jerusalem, if I do not consider that Jerusalem causes me to be more joyful than anything else does.

7 Remember, Jehovah, for the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Those saying, 'Rase, rase to its foundation!'

Yahweh, [punish] the people of the Edom people-group for what they did on the day that the army of Babylon captured Jerusalem. Do not forget that they said, “Tear down all the buildings! Destroy them completely! Leave only the foundations!”

8 O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us.

And you people of Babylon, you will certainly be destroyed! Those who punish you in return for what you did to us will be happy;

9 O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!

they will take your babies and completely smash them on the rocks.