Search the Bible

New American Standard Bible 2020

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion.
2 Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps.
3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors, jubilation, saying, "Sing for us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How can we sing the LORD'S song In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, May my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.
7 Remember, LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Those who said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare To its foundation!"
8 Daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, Blessed will be one who repays you With the retribution with which you have repaid us.
9 Blessed will be one who seizes and dashes your children 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.