| New King James Version | International Standard Version |
| 1By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. | 1There we sat down and cried— by the rivers of Babylon— as we remembered Zion. |
| 2We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. | 2On the willows there we hung our harps, |
| 3For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” | 3for it was there that our captors asked us for songs and our torturers demanded joy from us, "Sing us one of the songs about Zion!" |
| 4How shall we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land? | 4How are we to sing the song of the LORD on foreign soil? |
| 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! | 5If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand cease to function. |
| 6If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy. | 6May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don't remember you, if I don't consider Jerusalem to be more important than my highest joy. |
| 7Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!” | 7Remember the day of Jerusalem's fall, LORD, because of the Edomites, who kept saying, "Tear it down! Tear it right down to its foundations!" |
| 8O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us! | 8Daughter of Babylon! You devastator! How blessed will be the one who pays you back for what you have done to us. |
| 9Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock! | 9How blessed will be the one who seizes your young children and pulverizes them against the cliff! |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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