< Psalms 44 >

1 To the Overseer. — By sons of Korah. An Instruction. O God, with our ears we have heard, Our fathers have recounted to us, The work Thou didst work in their days, In the days of old.
“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 Thou, [with] Thy hand, nations hast dispossessed. And Thou dost plant them. Thou afflictest peoples, and sendest them away.
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, not by their sword Possessed they the land, And their arm gave not salvation to them, But Thy right hand, and Thine arm, And the light of Thy countenance, Because Thou hadst accepted 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 Thou [art] He, my king, O God, Command the deliverances of Jacob.
Thou art my king, O God! O send deliverance to Jacob!
5 By Thee our adversaries we do push, By Thy name tread down our withstanders,
Through thee we may cast down our enemies; Through thy name we may trample upon our adversaries!
6 For, not in my bow do I trust, And my sword doth not save me.
I trust not in my bow, Nor can my sword save me.
7 For Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And those hating us Thou hast put to shame.
But it is thou only who savest us from our enemies, And puttest to shame those who hate us!
8 In God we have boasted all the day, And Thy name to the age we thank. (Selah)
In God will we glory continually; Yea, we will praise thy name for ever! (Pause)
9 In anger Thou hast cast off and causest us to blush, And goest not forth with our hosts.
Yet now thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame; Thou goest not forth with our armies.
10 Thou causest us to turn backward from an adversary, And those hating us, Have spoiled for themselves.
Thou makest us turn back from the enemy, And they who hate us make our goods their prey.
11 Thou makest us food like sheep, And among nations Thou hast scattered us.
Thou makest us like sheep destined for food, And scatterest us among the nations.
12 Thou sellest Thy people — without wealth, And hast not become great by their price.
Thou sellest thy people for nought, And increasest not thy wealth by their price.
13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a reproach to our surrounders.
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and a derision to those who are around us.
14 Thou makest us a simile among nations, A shaking of the head among peoples.
Thou makest us a byword among the nations, And causest the people to shake their heads at us.
15 All the day my confusion [is] before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me.
My ignominy is continually before me, And shame covereth my face,
16 Because of the voice of a reproacher and reviler, Because of an enemy and a self-avenger.
On account of the voice of the scoffer and the reviler, And on account of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this met us, and we did not forget Thee, Nor have we dealt falsely in Thy covenant.
All this hath come upon us; Yet have we not forgotten thee, Nor have we been false to thy covenant.
18 We turn not backward our heart, Nor turn aside doth our step from Thy path.
Our hearts, have not wandered from thee, Nor have our feet gone out of thy path;
19 But Thou hast smitten us in a place of dragons, And dost cover us over with death-shade.
Though thou hast crushed us in a land of jackals, And covered us with thick 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 stretched forth our hands to a strange God,
21 Doth not God search out this? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Surely God would search it out; For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22 Surely, for Thy sake we have been slain all the day, Reckoned as sheep of the slaughter.
But for thy sake we are killed all the day; We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Stir up — why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Awake, cast us not off for ever.
Awake! why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise! cast us not off for ever!
24 Why Thy face hidest Thou? Thou forgettest our afflictions and our oppression,
Wherefore dost thou hide thy face, And forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For bowed to the dust hath our soul, Cleaved to the earth hath our belly.
Our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body cleaveth to the earth.
26 Arise, a help to us, And ransom us for thy kindness' sake.
Arise, O thou, our strength! And deliver us, for thy mercy's sake!

< Psalms 44 >