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:

[For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. A contemplative psalm.] We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us, what work you did in their days, in the days 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:

You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad.

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 did not get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them.

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

You are my King, my God, who commands victories for Jacob.

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

Through you we will push back our adversaries. Through your name we will trample down those who 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 you have saved us from our adversaries, and have shamed those who hate us.

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

In God we have made our boast all day long, we will give thanks to your name forever. (Selah)

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

But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor, and do not go out with our armies.

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

You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take spoil for themselves.

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

You have made us like sheep for food, and have scattered us among the nations.

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

You sell your people for nothing, and have gained nothing from their sale.

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

You make us the taunt of our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.

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

You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

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

All day long my dishonor is before me, and shame covers my face,

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

At the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses, because of the enemy and the avenger.

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

All this has come on us, yet have we not forgotten you, Neither have we been false to your covenant.

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

Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path,

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

Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, 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 spread forth our hands to a strange god;

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

won't God search this out? For he knows 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.

For your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

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

Wake up. Why do you sleep, Jehovah? Arise. Do not reject us forever.

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

Why do you hide your face, and forget 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 body cleaves to the earth.

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

Rise up to help us. Redeem us for your loving kindness' sake.