| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. | 1Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. |
| 2We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. | 2We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. |
| 3For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” | 3For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” |
| 4How shall we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land? | 4But how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a pagan land? |
| 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! | 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. |
| 6If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy. | 6May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy. |
| 7Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!” | 7O LORD, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. “Destroy it!” they yelled. “Level it to the ground!” |
| 8O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us! | 8O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us. |
| 9Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock! | 9Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks! |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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