Remembering Jerusalem

1There we sat down and cried—

by the rivers of Babylon—

as we remembered Zion.

2On the willows there

we hung our harps,

3for it was there that our captors

asked us for songs

and our torturers demanded joy from us,

“Sing us one of the songs about Zion!”

4How are we to sing the song of the LORD

on foreign soil?

5If I forget you, Jerusalem,

may my right hand cease to function.a

6May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth

if I don’t remember you,

if I don’t consider Jerusalem

to be more important than my highest joy.

7Remember the day of Jerusalem’s fall,b LORD,

because ofc the Edomites,

who kept saying, “Tear it down!

Tear it right down to its foundations!”

8Daughter of Babylon! You devastator!

How blessed will be the one who pays you back

for what you have done to us.

9How blessed will be the one who seizes your young children

and pulverizes them against the cliff!