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 OVERSEER. AN INSTRUCTION OF THE SONS OF KORAH. O God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have recounted to us, The work You worked 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.

You, [with] Your hand, have dispossessed nations. And You plant them. You afflict peoples, and send them away.

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 they did not possess the land by their sword, And their arm did not give salvation to them, But Your right hand, and Your arm, And the light of Your countenance, Because You had accepted them.

4 You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob.

You [are] He, my King, O God, Command the deliverances of Jacob.

5 Through You we repel our foes; through Your name we trample our enemies.

By You we push our adversaries, By Your Name we tread down our withstanders,

6 For I do not trust in my bow, nor does my sword save me.

For I do not trust in my bow, And my sword does not save me.

7 For You save us from our enemies; You put those who hate us to shame.

For You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those hating us.

8 In God we have boasted all day long, and Your name we will praise forever.

In God we have boasted all the day, And we thank Your Name for all time. (Selah)

9 But You have rejected and humbled us; You no longer go forth with our armies.

In anger You have cast off and cause us to blush, And do not go forth with our hosts.

10 You have made us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have plundered us.

You cause us to turn backward from an adversary, And those hating us, Have spoiled for themselves.

11 You have given us up as sheep to be devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.

You make us food like sheep, And You have scattered us among nations.

12 You sell Your people for nothing; no profit do You gain from their sale.

You sell Your people—without wealth, And have not become great by their price.

13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.

You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and a reproach to our surrounders.

14 You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.

You make us an allegory among nations, A shaking of the head among 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 has covered me.

16 at the voice of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy, bent on revenge.

Because of the voice of a reproacher and reviler, Because of an enemy and a self-avenger.

17 All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten You or betrayed Your covenant.

All this met us, and we did not forget You, Nor have we dealt falsely in Your covenant.

18 Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.

We do not turn our heart backward, Nor turn aside our step from Your path.

19 But You have crushed us in the lair of jackals; You have covered us with deepest darkness.

But You have struck us in a place of dragons, And cover us over with death-shade.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

If we have forgotten the Name of our God, And spread our hands to a strange God,

21 would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?

Does God not search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Surely, for Your sake we have been slain all the day, Reckoned as sheep of the slaughter.

23 Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.

Stir up—why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever.

24 Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?

Why do You hide Your face? You forget our afflictions and our oppression,

25 For our soul has sunk to the dust; our bodies cling to the earth.

For our soul has bowed to the dust, Our belly has cleaved to the earth.

26 Rise up; be our help! Redeem us on account of Your loving devotion.

Arise, a help to us, And ransom us for your kindness’ sake.