Psalms 44

1 To the Chief Musician. For the Sons of Korah. An Instructive Psalm. O God! with our own ears, have we heard, Our fathers, have recounted to us, —The work thou didst work, In their day, In the days of aforetime:

WE have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

2 Thou thyself, with thine own hand—Didst dispossess, nations, and didst plant them, Didst break peoples in pieces, and didst spread them out:

How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

3 For, not by their own sword, gat they possession of the land, Nor did, their own arm, win victory for them, —But thine own right hand, and thine own arm, and the light of thy face, Because thou hadst accepted them.

For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

4 Thou thyself, art my king, O God, Command thou the victories of Jacob.

Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

5 By thee, will we thrust at, our adversaries, In thy Name, will we tread down our assailants;

Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

6 For, not in my bow, will I trust, Nor shall, my sword, give me victory;

For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

7 For thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And, them who hated us, hast thou put to shame.

But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

8 In God, have we boasted all the day, And, thy Name—unto times age-abiding, will we praise. (Selah)

In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. (Selah)

9 But nay thou hast rejected, and confounded us, And wilt not go forth with our hosts;

But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

10 Thou sufferest us to turn back from the adversary, And, they who hate us, have plundered at will:

Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

11 Thou dost give us up like sheep to be devoured, And, amongst the nations, hast thou scattered us.

Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

12 Thou dost sell thy people for, no-value, And hast not made increase by their price.

Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

13 Thou dost make us, A reproach to our neighbours, A mockery and a derision to them who are round about us:

Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

14 Thou dost make us, A by-word among the nations, —A shaking of the head among the peoples.

Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

15 All the day, is my confusion before me, And, the shame of my face, hath covered me:

My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

16 At the voice of him who reproacheth and revileth, At the face of the foe and avenger.

For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

17 All this, hath come upon us, Yet had we not forgotten thee, Neither had we dealt falsely with thy covenant;

All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

18 Our heart had not drawn back, Nor had our goings swerved from thy path;

Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

19 That thou shouldst have crushed us down in the place of wild dogs, And covered us over with a deadly shadow.

Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

20 If we had forgotten the Name of our God, And had spread forth our hands unto the GOD of the foreigner,

If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

21 Would not, God, have searched into this, Seeing that, he, knoweth the secrets of the heart?

Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

22 Surely, for thy sake, have we been slain all the day, We have been accounted as sheep for slaughter.

Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake thou! wherefore shouldst thou sleep, O Lord? Bestir thee! do not reject us altogether!

Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

24 Wherefore shouldst thou hide, thy face? Shouldst forget our humiliation and our oppression?

Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

25 For our soul, sinketh down to the dust, Our body, cleaveth to the earth.

For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

26 Arise to our help, And ransom us, because of thine own lovingkindness.

Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.