| Common English Bible (CEB) | New International Version (NIV) |
| 1 Alongside Babylon's streams, there we sat down, crying because we remembered Zion. | 1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. |
| 2 We hung our lyres up in the trees there | 2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, |
| 3 because that's where our captors asked us to sing; our tormentors requested songs of joy: "Sing us a song about Zion!" they said. | 3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" |
| 4 But how could we possibly sing the LORD's song on foreign soil? | 4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? |
| 5 Jerusalem! If I forget you, let my strong hand wither! | 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget [its skill]. |
| 6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don't remember you, if I don't make Jerusalem my greatest joy. | 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. |
| Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible (Common English Bible) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |