New International Version NIV
New Century Version NCV
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
1
By the rivers in Babylon we sat and cried when we remembered Jerusalem.
2 There on the poplars we hung our harps,
2
On the poplar trees nearby we hung our harps.
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!”
3
Those who captured us asked us to sing; our enemies wanted happy songs. They said, "Sing us a song about Jerusalem!"
4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?
4
But we cannot sing songs about the Lord while we are in this foreign country!
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
5
Jerusalem, if I forget you, let my right hand lose its skill.
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.
6
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not think about Jerusalem as my greatest joy.
7 Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”
7
Lord, remember what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, "Tear it down! Tear it down to its foundations!"
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.
8
People of Babylon, you will be destroyed. The people who pay you back for what you did to us will be happy.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
9
They will grab your babies and throw them against the rocks. A psalm of David.