Psalms 44
1 To the chief music-maker. Of the sons of Korah Maschil. It has come to our ears, O God, our fathers have given us the story, of the works which you did in their days, in the old times,
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.
2 Uprooting the nations with your hand, and planting our fathers in their place; cutting down the nations, but increasing the growth of your people.
With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.
3 For they did not make the land theirs by their swords, and it was not their arms which kept them safe; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you had pleasure in them.
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.
4 You are my King and my God; ordering salvation for Jacob.
You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob.
5 Through you will we overcome our haters; by your name will they be crushed under our feet who are violent against us.
Through You we repel our foes; through Your name we trample our enemies.
6 I will not put faith in my bow, my sword will not be my salvation.
For I do not trust in my bow, nor does my sword save me.
7 But it is you who have been our saviour from those who were against us, and have put to shame those who had hate for us.
For You save us from our enemies; You put those who hate us to shame.
8 Our pride is in God at all times, to his name we give praise for ever. (Selah)
In God we have boasted all day long, and Your name we will praise forever.
9 But now you have sent us away from you, and put us to shame; you do not go out with our armies.
But You have rejected and humbled us; You no longer go forth with our armies.
10 Because of this we are turned back by the attacker: those who have hate for us take our goods for themselves.
You have made us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have plundered us.
11 You have made us like sheep which are taken for meat; we are put to flight among the nations.
You have given us up as sheep to be devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.
12 You let your people go for nothing; your wealth is not increased by their price.
You sell Your people for nothing; no profit do You gain from their sale.
13 You have made us to be looked down on by our neighbours, we are laughed at and shamed by those who are round about us.
You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.
14 Our name is a word of shame among the nations, a sign for the shaking of heads among the peoples.
You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 My downfall is ever before me, and I am covered with the shame of my face;
All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face,
16 Because of the voice of him who says sharp and bitter words; because of the hater and him who is the instrument of punishment.
at the voice of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy, bent on revenge.
17 All this has come on us, but still we have kept you in our memory; and we have not been false to your word.
All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten You or betrayed Your covenant.
18 Our hearts have not gone back, and our steps have not been turned out of your way;
Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.
19 Though you have let us be crushed in the place of jackals, though we are covered with darkest shade.
But You have crushed us in the lair of jackals; You have covered us with deepest darkness.
20 If the name of our God has gone out of our minds, or if our hands have been stretched out to a strange god,
If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 Will not God make search for it? for he sees the secrets of the heart.
would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Truly, because of you we are put to death every day; we are numbered like sheep for destruction.
Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Why are you sleeping, O Lord? awake! and come to our help, do not give us up for ever.
Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why is your face covered, and why do you give no thought to our trouble and our cruel fate?
Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our souls are crushed down to the dust: our bodies are stretched out on the earth.
For our soul has sunk to the dust; our bodies cling to the earth.
26 Up! and come to our help, and give us salvation because of your mercy.
Rise up; be our help! Redeem us on account of Your loving devotion.
