< Psalms 44 >
1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us the work You did in their days, in the days of old.
To the chief Musician. Of the sons of Korah. An instruction. O God, with our ears have we heard, our fathers have told us, the work thou wroughtest in their days, in the days of old:
2 With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.
Thou, by thy hand, didst dispossess the nations, but them thou didst plant; thou didst afflict the peoples, but them didst thou cause to spread out.
3 For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.
For not by their own sword did they take possession of the land, neither did their own arm save them; but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst delight in them.
4 You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob.
Thou thyself art my king, O God: command deliverance for Jacob.
5 Through You we repel our foes; through Your name we trample our enemies.
Through thee will we push down our adversaries; through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
6 For I do not trust in my bow, nor does my sword save me.
For I will not put confidence in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
7 For You save us from our enemies; You put those who hate us to shame.
For thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to shame that hate us.
8 In God we have boasted all day long, and Your name we will praise forever.
In God will we boast all the day, and we will praise thy name for ever. (Selah)
9 But You have rejected and humbled us; You no longer go forth with our armies.
But thou hast cast off, and put us to confusion, and dost not go forth with our armies;
10 You have made us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have plundered us.
Thou hast made us to turn back from the adversary, and they that hate us spoil for themselves;
11 You have given us up as sheep to be devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.
Thou hast given us over like sheep [appointed] for meat, and hast scattered us among the nations;
12 You sell Your people for nothing; no profit do You gain from their sale.
Thou hast sold thy people for nought, and hast not increased [thy wealth] by their price;
13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a mockery and a derision for them that are round about us;
14 You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
Thou makest us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face,
All the day my confusion is before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
16 at the voice of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy, bent on revenge.
Because of the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten You or betrayed Your covenant.
All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely against thy covenant:
18 Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.
Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy path;
19 But You have crushed us in the lair of jackals; You have covered us with deepest darkness.
Though thou hast crushed us in the place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
If we had forgotten the name of our God, and stretched out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
Would not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
But for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are reckoned as sheep for slaughter.
23 Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.
Awake, why sleepest thou, Lord? arise, cast [us] not off for ever.
24 Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?
Wherefore hidest thou thy face, [and] forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul has sunk to the dust; our bodies cling to the earth.
For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
26 Rise up; be our help! Redeem us on account of Your loving devotion.
Rise up for our help, and redeem us for thy loving-kindness' sake.