Psalm 137 NLT NIV Parallel

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◄ Psalm 137 ►

New Living Translation

New International Version

1Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.

1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

2We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.

2There on the poplars we hung our harps,

3For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”

3for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

4But how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a pagan land?

4How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp.

5If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.

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.

6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

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!”

7Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. "Tear it down," they cried, "tear it down to its foundations!"

8O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.

8Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.

9Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!

9Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.