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 leader of the music. A psalm of the sons of Korah.” O God! we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us, What deeds thou didst 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 thine own hand didst thou drive out the nations, And plant our fathers; Thou didst destroy the nations, And cause our fathers to flourish.
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 not by their own swords did they gain possession of the land, Nor did their own arms give them victory; But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance; For thou didst favor them!
4 You are my King and my God; ordering salvation for Jacob.
Thou art my king, O God! O send deliverance to 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 thee we may cast down our enemies; Through thy name we may trample upon our adversaries!
6 I will not put faith in my bow, my sword will not be my salvation.
I trust not in my bow, Nor can 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.
But it is thou only who savest us from our enemies, And puttest to shame those who hate us!
8 Our pride is in God at all times, to his name we give praise for ever. (Selah)
In God will we glory continually; Yea, we will praise thy name for ever! (Pause)
9 But now you have sent us away from you, and put us to shame; you do not go out with our armies.
Yet now thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame; Thou goest not 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.
Thou makest us turn back from the enemy, And they who hate us make our goods their prey.
11 You have made us like sheep which are taken for meat; we are put to flight among the nations.
Thou makest us like sheep destined for food, And scatterest us among the nations.
12 You let your people go for nothing; your wealth is not increased by their price.
Thou sellest thy people for nought, And increasest not thy wealth by their price.
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.
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and a derision to those who are around us.
14 Our name is a word of shame among the nations, a sign for the shaking of heads among the peoples.
Thou makest us a byword among the nations, And causest the people to shake their heads at us.
15 My downfall is ever before me, and I am covered with the shame of my face;
My ignominy is continually before me, And shame covereth 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.
On account of the voice of the scoffer and the reviler, And on account of the enemy and the avenger.
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 hath come upon us; Yet have we not forgotten thee, Nor have we been false to thy covenant.
18 Our hearts have not gone back, and our steps have not been turned out of your way;
Our hearts, have not wandered from thee, Nor have our feet gone out of thy path;
19 Though you have let us be crushed in the place of jackals, though we are covered with darkest shade.
Though thou hast crushed us in a land of jackals, And covered us with thick 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 stretched forth our hands to a strange God,
21 Will not God make search for it? for he sees the secrets of the heart.
Surely God would search it out; For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22 Truly, because of you we are put to death every day; we are numbered like sheep for destruction.
But for thy sake we are killed all the day; We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Why are you sleeping, O Lord? awake! and come to our help, do not give us up for ever.
Awake! why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise! cast us not off for ever!
24 Why is your face covered, and why do you give no thought to our trouble and our cruel fate?
Wherefore dost thou hide thy 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.
Our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body cleaveth to the earth.
26 Up! and come to our help, and give us salvation because of your mercy.
Arise, O thou, our strength! And deliver us, for thy mercy's sake!
