Beside the rivers of Babylon,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.
On the willows we hung up our guitars,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.
"Sing" – our enemies told us;
"sing" – our oppressors told us;
they wanted us to sing songs of joy.
How could we sing
the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
If I forget you Jerusalem,
may my right hand wither;
may my tongue cleave to my mouth
if I don’t remember you, Jerusalem,
above all my joys.
Lord, ask account of our enemies,
Lord, ask account of our oppressors,
when they say to each other:
"Raze it to its foundations."
Capital
of criminal Babylon!
Who could repay you the evil
you have done to us?
Who could crush your little ones against the rock?
Beside the rivers of Babylon,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.
On the willows we hung up our guitars,
remembering Jerusalem, we sat down to weep.

I love the Lord for he listens
to the cry of my appeal,
for he turned his ear to me
on the day when I called him.
They surrounded me, the snares of death,
the bonds of Sheol held me fast,
they caught me, sorrow and distress,
I called on the name of the Lord:
"O Lord, my God, deliver me."
Return, my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has been good to you;
He has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.
He has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.
I had faith even when I said:
"I am sorely afflicted,"
and when I said in my alarm
"No man can be trusted."
How can I repay the Lord,
for all his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise,
invoking the name of the Lord:
"O Lord, my God, deliver me."
Return, my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has been good to you;
he has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.
He has rescued you from death
and kept your feet from stumbling.