The Mourning of the Exiles in Babylon
1 By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat down, yea, we wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song;
and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying,
Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee,
let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth;
if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom
in the day of Jerusalem;
who said, Rase it, rase it,
even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed;
happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth
thy little ones against the stones.
Published by The American Bible Society
Love that last verse.
Ping! I’ve noticed your deep interest in music. Today I’ve been rediscovering an unique American voice through this thread. Although Don McLean leans left, some of his lyrics don’t. I just spent nearly an hour listening and re-listening to this song, thanks to this post by CharlesOConnell, and am preparing it for two of my Bible classes.