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.
God, we ourselves have heard what our parents and grandparents told us. They told us about the miracles that you performed long ago.
2 Thou, [with] Thy hand, nations hast dispossessed. And Thou dost plant them. Thou afflictest peoples, and sendest them away.
[They told us] how you expelled the ungodly people and enabled us to live in their land. [They told us] that you punished those ungodly people and enabled your own people to prosper [IDM].
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.
It was not by using their own swords that they conquered the people that lived in that land, and it was not by their own power that they were victorious; it was only by your power [MTY, DOU] [that they did those things]; and they were sure that you were with them, and that showed that you were pleased with them.
4 Thou [art] He, my king, O God, Command the deliverances of Jacob.
You are my King and my God; it is you who enable us, your people [MTY], to defeat our enemies.
5 By Thee our adversaries we do push, By Thy name tread down our withstanders,
It is by your power that we knock our enemies down and tramp on them.
6 For, not in my bow do I trust, And my sword doth not save me.
I do not trust that I will be saved by using my bow [and arrows] and my sword.
7 For Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And those hating us Thou hast put to shame.
No, it is you who have rescued us from our enemies, it is you who have caused those who hate us to become ashamed [because they were defeated].
8 In God we have boasted all the day, And Thy name to the age we thank. (Selah)
We have continually boasted about what God [has done for us], and we will thank him [MTY] forever.
9 In anger Thou hast cast off and causest us to blush, And goest not forth with our hosts.
But [now] you have rejected us and caused us to be disgraced; when our armies march out [to fight a battle], you no [longer] go with them.
10 Thou causest us to turn backward from an adversary, And those hating us, Have spoiled for themselves.
You have caused us to run away from our enemies, with the result that they captured the things that belonged to us.
11 Thou makest us food like sheep, And among nations Thou hast scattered us.
You have allowed us to become like [MET] sheep that were ready to be slaughtered; you scattered us [far away] among [other].
12 Thou sellest Thy people — without wealth, And hast not become great by their price.
[It is as though] [MET] you sold us, your people, [to our enemies] for a very small price, and you did not gain much profit from selling us!
13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a reproach to our surrounders.
People who live in nations near us make fun of us; they laugh at us and deride/belittle us.
14 Thou makest us a simile among nations, A shaking of the head among peoples.
They make jokes using the name of [our country], they shake their heads [to indicate that they despise us].
15 All the day my confusion [is] before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me.
All day I feel disgraced; from seeing my face, people know that I am ashamed.
16 Because of the voice of a reproacher and reviler, Because of an enemy and a self-avenger.
I hear what those who sneer at me and revile me say; I am ashamed in front of my enemies and those who want to harm me.
17 All this met us, and we did not forget Thee, Nor have we dealt falsely in Thy covenant.
All these things have happened to us [even] though we have not forgotten you, and we are not the ones who disobeyed the agreement you made with [our ancestors].
18 We turn not backward our heart, Nor turn aside doth our step from Thy path.
We have not stopped being loyal to you, and we have not stopped doing what you want us to do [IDM].
19 But Thou hast smitten us in a place of dragons, And dost cover us over with death-shade.
But [it is as though] you have allowed us to be helpless among wild animals, and abandoned us in a deep dark [ravine].
20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, And spread our hands to a strange God,
If we had forgotten to worship [MTY] our God, or if we had spread out our hands to [worship] a foreign god,
21 Doth not God search out this? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.
you certainly would have known that, because you know [even] what we secretly think.
22 Surely, for Thy sake we have been slain all the day, Reckoned as sheep of the slaughter.
But it is because we belong to you, [that our enemies] are constantly killing us. They act toward us as though we were only sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Stir up — why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Awake, cast us not off for ever.
[So], Yahweh, arise! Why are you asleep [RHQ]? Get up! Do not reject us forever!
24 Why Thy face hidest Thou? Thou forgettest our afflictions and our oppression,
Why are you not looking at us? Why are you forgetting that we are suffering and being oppressed [by our enemies]?
25 For bowed to the dust hath our soul, Cleaved to the earth hath our belly.
We are pushed down to the ground and we cannot get up.
26 Arise, a help to us, And ransom us for thy kindness' sake.
Arise, and come and help us! Rescue us because you faithfully love us!
