137 1-3 Alongside Babylon’s rivers
    we sat on the banks; we cried and cried,
    remembering the good old days in Zion.
Alongside the quaking aspens
    we stacked our unplayed harps;
That’s where our captors demanded songs,
    sarcastic and mocking:
    “Sing us a happy Zion song!”

4-6 Oh, how could we ever sing God’s song
    in this wasteland?
If I ever forget you, Jerusalem,
    let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves.
Let my tongue swell and turn black
    if I fail to remember you,
If I fail, O dear Jerusalem,
    to honor you as my greatest.

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for there our captors(A) asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded(B) songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(C)

How can we sing the songs of the Lord(D)
    while in a foreign land?
If I forget you,(E) Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.

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