(א) עַ֥ל נַהֲר֨וֹת ׀ בָּבֶ֗ל שָׁ֣ם יָ֭שַׁבְנוּ גַּם־בָּכִ֑ינוּ בְּ֝זָכְרֵ֗נוּ אֶת־צִיּֽוֹן׃(ב) עַֽל־עֲרָבִ֥ים בְּתוֹכָ֑הּ תָּ֝לִ֗ינוּ כִּנֹּרוֹתֵֽינוּ׃(ג) כִּ֤י שָׁ֨ם שְֽׁאֵל֪וּנוּ שׁוֹבֵ֡ינוּ דִּבְרֵי־שִׁ֭יר וְתוֹלָלֵ֣ינוּ שִׂמְחָ֑ה שִׁ֥ירוּ לָ֝֗נוּ מִשִּׁ֥יר צִיּֽוֹן׃(ד) אֵ֗יךְ נָשִׁ֥יר אֶת־שִׁיר־יהוה עַ֝֗ל אַדְמַ֥ת נֵכָֽר׃
(ה) אִֽם־אֶשְׁכָּחֵ֥ךְ יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם תִּשְׁכַּ֥ח יְמִינִֽי׃(ו) תִּדְבַּ֥ק־לְשׁוֹנִ֨י ׀ לְחִכִּי֮ אִם־לֹ֪א אֶ֫זְכְּרֵ֥כִי אִם־לֹ֣א אַ֭עֲלֶה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֑ם עַ֝֗ל רֹ֣אשׁ שִׂמְחָתִֽי׃
(ז) זְכֹ֤ר יהוה ׀ לִבְנֵ֬י אֱד֗וֹם אֵת֮ י֤וֹם יְֽרוּשָׁ֫לִָ֥ם הָ֭אֹ֣מְרִים עָ֤רוּ ׀ עָ֑רוּ עַ֝֗ד הַיְס֥וֹד בָּֽהּ׃(ח) בַּת־בָּבֶ֗ל הַשְּׁד֫וּדָ֥ה אַשְׁרֵ֥י שֶׁיְשַׁלֶּם־לָ֑ךְ אֶת־גְּ֝מוּלֵ֗ךְ שֶׁגָּמַ֥לְתְּ לָֽנוּ׃(ט) אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀ שֶׁיֹּאחֵ֓ז וְנִפֵּ֬ץ אֶֽת־עֹ֝לָלַ֗יִךְ אֶל־הַסָּֽלַע׃
(1) By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of Zion.(2) There on the poplars we hung up our lyres,(3) for our captors asked us there for songs, our tormentors, for amusement, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”(4) How can we sing a song of the LORD on alien soil?
(5) If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither;(6) let my tongue stick to my palate if I cease to think of you, if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory even at my happiest hour.
(7) Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall; how they cried, “Strip her, strip her to her very foundations!”(8) Fair Babylon, you predator, a blessing on him who repays you in kind what you have inflicted on us;(9) a blessing on him who seizes your babies and dashes them against the rocks!
Philip Hayes - 18th Century British Composer
(א) שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת בְּשׁ֣וּב יהוה אֶת־שִׁיבַ֣ת צִיּ֑וֹן הָ֝יִ֗ינוּ כְּחֹלְמִֽים׃(ב) אָ֤ז יִמָּלֵ֪א שְׂח֡וֹק פִּינוּ֮ וּלְשׁוֹנֵ֪נוּ רִ֫נָּ֥ה אָ֭ז יֹאמְר֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֑ם הִגְדִּ֥יל יהוה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִם־אֵֽלֶּה׃(ג) הִגְדִּ֣יל יהוה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִמָּ֗נוּ הָיִ֥ינוּ שְׂמֵחִֽים׃
(ד) שׁוּבָ֣ה יהוה אֶת־שבותנו [שְׁבִיתֵ֑נוּ] כַּאֲפִיקִ֥ים בַּנֶּֽגֶב׃(ה) הַזֹּרְעִ֥ים בְּדִמְעָ֗ה בְּרִנָּ֥ה יִקְצֹֽרוּ׃(ו) הָ֘ל֤וֹךְ יֵלֵ֨ךְ ׀ וּבָכֹה֮ נֹשֵׂ֪א מֶֽשֶׁךְ־הַ֫זָּ֥רַע בֹּֽ֬א־יָב֥וֹא בְרִנָּ֑ה נֹ֝שֵׂ֗א אֲלֻמֹּתָֽיו׃
(1) A song of ascents. When the LORD restores the fortunes of Zion —we see it as in a dream—(2) our mouths shall be filled with laughter, our tongues, with songs of joy. Then shall they say among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them!”(3) The LORD will do great things for us and we shall rejoice.
(4) Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like watercourses in the Negeb.(5) They who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy.(6) Though he goes along weeping, carrying the seed-bag, he shall come back with songs of joy, carrying his sheaves.
(From the Cantor of TCS in Westport, regarding the history of Israel's national anthem)
In later years, “Hatikvah” continued to be a subject of debate. Religious Zionists frequently objected to the putatively secular character of its lyrics, which do not mention God. As a result they suggested two alternatives to Hatikvah as Israel's national anthem. The first was Shir Hamaalot Beshuv Hashem et Shivat Zion, Psalm 126, whose theme is the return to Zion and which says this return would seem like an impossible dream come true. It had been set to music by the famed Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt, and the song as he rendered it
became popular in recent years when "Shir Hamaalot" was sung by popular Israeli singer ChananYovel. The second one was “Ha-emunah” (“The Faith”) by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook which speaks of the “steadfast faith in the return to our holy land...where we shall serve our God.”
"Traditional" Birkat Hamazon Melody:
Excerpt From Menachem Begin’s Speech at the Camp David Accords
March 27, 1979
It is, ladies and gentlemen, the third greatest day in my life. The first was May 14, 1948, when our flag was hoisted. Our independence in our ancestors’ land was proclaimed after 1878 years of dispersion, persecution, humiliation and ultimately physical destruction. We fought for our liberation alone, and with God's help we won the day.
The second day was when Jerusalem became one city and our brave, perhaps most heartened soldiers, the parachutists, embraced with tears and kissed the ancient stones of the remnants of the Wall destined to protect the chosen place of God's glory. Our hearts wept with them in remembrance.
This is the third day in my life. I have signed the treaty of peace with our great neighbor, with Egypt. The heart is full and overflowing. God gave me the strength to persevere, to survive the horrors of Nazism and of a Stalinite concentration camp and some other dangers, to endure, not to waver in nor flinch from my duty, to accept abuse from foreigners and, what is more painful, from my own people and even from my close friends. This effort, too, bore some fruit.
Therefore, it is the proper place and appropriate time to bring back to memory the song and prayer of thanksgiving I learned as a child in the home of father and mother that doesn't exist anymore because they were among the six million people, men, women and children, who sanctified the Lord's name with their sacred blood, which reddened the rivers of Europe from the Rhine to the Danube; because, only because, they were born Jews; and because they didn't have a country of their own and neither a valiant Jewish army to defend them; and because nobody, nobody came to their rescue although they cried out, “Save us, save us,” from the depths of the pit and agony.
This is the Song of Degrees written two millennia and five hundred years ago when our forefathers returned from their first exile to Jerusalem and Zion.
[Mr. Begin then recited the 126th Psalm in Hebrew.]
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams turn to the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing previous seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bring inig his sheaves with him.
I will not translate. Every man, whether Jew or Christian or Moslem can read it in his own language. It is just Psalm 126.
בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג), וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה יהוה לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם. לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִין לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, לְבָרֵךְ, לְעַלֵּה, וּלְקַלֵּס, לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ אֶת כָּל הַנִּסִּים הָאֵלּוּ, הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת, מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. וְנֹאמַר לְפָנָיו, הַלְלוּיָהּ:
In each and every generation a person must view himself as though he personally left Egypt, as it is stated: “And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: It is because of this which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). Therefore we are obligated to thank, praise, glorify, extol, exalt, honor, bless, revere, and laud [lekales] the One who performed for our forefathers and for us all these miracles: God took us out from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to a Festival, from darkness to a great light, and from enslavement to redemption. And we will say before God: Halleluya.