1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us [required of us] mirth, [saying], Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [her skill].
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze [it], raze [it], [even] to its foundation.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy [shall he be], that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy [shall he be], that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
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.