Psalms 44
1 For the music director. A psalm (maskil) of the sons of Korah. God, we have heard with our own ears—our forefathers have told us—all you did in their times, long ago.
For the leader. Of the Korahites. A maskil. O God, we have heard with our ears, all our ancestors have told us of the work that you wrought in their day, your wonders in days of old,
2 Through your power you drove out the other nations so you could settle our ancestors there; you defeated the nations and you sent our ancestors to occupy the land.
uprooting and crushing the nations, then planting and settling them. For it wasn’t their own sword that won them the land,
3 They did not conquer the land using their swords; it was not through their own strength that the victory was won—it was by your strength, your power, and your presence with them, because you loved them.
it was not their own arm that brought them the victory. Yours was the hand and the arm, yours was the face that shone on them with favour.
4 God, you are my King; command victories for Jacob!
It was you, my king and my God, that ordained the victories of Jacob.
5 Only through you can we repel our enemies; only in your name can we defeat our opponents.
Through you we can thrust back our foes, and by your name tread down our assailants:
6 I do not trust my bow; I do not have confidence in my sword to save me.
for not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword win me the victory.
7 You are the one who saves us from our enemies; you defeat those who hate us.
Our victory comes from you, and confusion to those who hate us.
8 God, we proudly thank you all day long, and praise your name forever. (Selah)
In God we boast all the day long, and your name will we praise forever. (Selah)
9 But now you have rejected and disgraced us; you no longer accompany our armies.
Yet you have spurned and disgraced us, in not going forth with our armies,
10 You made us run from our enemies, and those who hate us have taken whatever they wanted.
and in making us flee from the foe, so that those who hated us plundered us.
11 You have handed us over like sheep to be slaughtered; you have scattered us among the other nations.
You have let us be eaten like sheep, you have scattered us over the world,
12 You have sold your own people for next to nothing, making no profit on the sale.
sold your people for a pittance, and getting no gain from their price.
13 You have made a mockery of us before our neighbors, we are ridiculed and laughed at by those around us.
You have made us the butt of our neighbours, the derision and scorn of all round us.
14 You have made us a joke to the other nations; they scornfully shake their heads at us.
O’er the world you have made us a byword, the nations at us shake their heads.
15 We are humiliated all day long; we hold our heads in shame,
My disgrace is forever before me, my face is covered with shame,
16 because of all the insults from the people mocking us, because our vengeful enemies are right in front of us.
at the words of blasphemer and scoffer, at the sight of the foe and the vengeful.
17 All this has happened to us even though we didn't forget you; we haven't been unfaithful to the promises we made to you.
All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you nor falsely dealt with your covenant.
18 We have not turned away from you, not in thought, nor in action.
Our heart has not turned back, nor our steps declined from your way,
19 Even so, you crushed us, and made us into a jackal's den. You have covered us with the darkness of death.
that you thus should have crushed us down, and covered us over with gloom, in the place where the jackals roam.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or worshiped other gods,
Had we forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a god that was strange,
21 wouldn't God have been aware of this, because he knows everyone's thoughts?
would God not have searched this out? For he knows the heart and its secrets.
22 But because of you we are killed all day long; we're considered just sheep to be slaughtered.
But in your cause it is we are killed all the day, and counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Lord, wake up! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don't turn your back on us forever!
Rouse yourself, why do you sleep Lord? Awake, cast us not off forever.
24 Why do you look away from us and take no notice of our suffering and misery?
Why do you hide your face, forgetting our stress and our misery?
25 We lie ruined in the dust, our bodies face down in the dirt.
For we have sunk down to the dust, our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Stand up! Come and help us! Save us because of your trustworthy love!
Arise, come to our help: for your love’s sake, ransom us.
