26GIVE THANKS TO [THE] GOD OF THE HEAVENS FOR [IS] FOR EVER COVENANT LOYALTY HIS 26Give thanks to the God of heaven! His loving devotion endures forever.
1AT [THE] RIVERS OF BABYLON THERE WE SAT ALSO WE WEPT WHEN REMEMBERED WE <OBJ.> ZION By the Rivers of Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1–3) 1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
2ON POPLARS IN [THE] MIDST OF IT WE HUNG UP HARPS OUR 2There on the willows*NoteCloseOr poplars we hung our harps,
3FOR THERE THEY ASKED US CAPTORS OUR WORDS OF A SONG AND MOCKERS OUR GLADNESS SING FOR US ONE OF [THE] SONG[S] OF ZION 3for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of Zion.”
4HOW? WILL WE SING <OBJ.> [THE] SONG OF YAHWEH ON GROUND OF FOREIGNNESS 4How can we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?
5IF I WILL FORGET YOU O JERUSALEM MAY IT FORGET RIGHT [HAND] MY 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand cease to function.
6MAY IT CLEAVE TONGUE MY TO PALATE MY IF NOT I WILL REMEMBER YOU IF NOT I WILL LIFT UP <OBJ.> JERUSALEM ABOVE [THE] CHIEF OF JOY MY 6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!
7REMEMBER O YAHWEH TO [THE] PEOPLE OF EDOM <OBJ.> [THE] DAY OF JERUSALEM WHO WERE SAYING LAY BARE LAY BARE TO THE FOUNDATION IN IT 7Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations
8O DAUGHTER OF BABYLON THAT IS ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED HOW BLESSED! [IS ONE] WHO HE WILL REPAY TO YOU <OBJ.> DEALING YOUR THAT YOU DEALT TO US 8O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us.
9HOW BLESSED! [IS ONE] WHO HE WILL SEIZE AND HE WILL SMASH <OBJ.> CHILDREN YOUR TO THE ROCK 9Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.