Psalms 44

1 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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14 You make us an allegory among nations, A shaking of the head among peoples.

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

15 All the day my confusion [is] before me, And the shame of my face has covered me.

All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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