1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that made us wail [required] mirth, [saying,] Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion.
4 How should we sing a song of Jehovah's upon a foreign soil?
5 If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [its skill];
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to my palate: if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Jehovah, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, Lay [it] bare, Lay [it] bare, down to its foundation!
8 Daughter of Babylon, who art to be laid waste, happy he that rendereth unto thee that which thou hast meted out to us.
9 Happy he that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock.
Chapter Summary
Exiles weep by Babylon's rivers, unable to sing the LORD's song in a foreign land, remembering Jerusalem.
Book Summary
Psalms is the Bible's songbook: one hundred fifty prayers and hymns of praise, lament, thanksgiving, and trust, many attributed to David. From the depths of despair to the heights of worship, it has voiced the prayers of God's people for millennia.