Monday, November 15, 2010

By the waters of Babylon, we sat down. . .



By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept


when we remembered Zion.


There on the poplars


we hung our harps,


for there our captors asked us for songs,


our tormentors demanded songs of joy;


they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"



How can we sing the songs of the Lord


while in a foreign land?


If I forget you, Jerusalem,


may my right hand forget its skill.


May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth


if I do not remember you,


if I do not consider Jerusalem


my highest joy.



Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did


on the day Jerusalem fell.


"Tear it down," they cried,


"tear it down to its foundations!"


Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,


happy is the one who repays you


according to what you have done to us.


Happy is the one who seizes your infants


and dashes them against the rocks.


Psalm 137

2 comments:

  1. Infanticide in the Psalms. I'd thought they were supposed to be inspiring.

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  2. Oh! You should read the Bible sometime, especially the Old Testament. It is brutal, even bloodthirsty. Vengeance is the order of the day, along with bitterness, resentment and simmering rage. Maybe this is why Jesus had to come along and rattle on and on about forgiveness. I guess somebody had to.

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