1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down.
Yes, we wept, when we remembered Al-Quds.1
2On the willows in the midst of it,
We hung up our harps.
3For there, those who led us captive asked us for songs.
Those who tormented us demanded songs of joy:
“Sing us one of the songs of Al-Quds!”
4How can we sing YAHWEH’s song in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill.
6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you;
If I do not prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7Remember, YAHWEH,2 against the children of Edom,
The day of Jerusalem;
Who said, “Raze it!
Raze it even to its foundation!”
8Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
He will be happy who rewards you,
As you have served us.
9Happy shall he be,
Who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock.
- 137:1 Al-Quds, meaning “the Holy (City).” The Hebrew text reads Zion, a synonym for Jerusalem. It originally referred to Mount Zion, one of the hills of Jerusalem. ↩︎
- 137:7 YAHWEH, the name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎