A little time with Scripture.
SCRIPTURE READER

Psalms 137

World English Bible · Public domain

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Psalms 137

1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

2On the willows in that land, 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 Zion!”

4How can we sing the LORD’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 don’t remember you, if I don’t prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy.

7Remember, LORD, against the children of Edom in 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 repays you, as you have done to us.

9Happy shall he be, who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock.

World English Bible (WEB). Public-domain translation. Publisher: eBible.org. Local WEB chapter text; additional external requests use bible-api.com.

A few questions for reading in context
  • Who is speaking, and to whom?
  • What is happening before and after this passage?
  • What kind of writing is this—poetry, narrative, letter, or another form?
  • What does the passage say before I consider how to apply it?