Psalms 44

1 For the Leader; a Psalm of the sons of Korah. Maschil. O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us; a work Thou didst in their days, in the days of old.

For the leader. Of the Korahites. A maskil. O God, we have heard with our ears, all our ancestors have told us of the work that you wrought in their day, your wonders in days of old,

2 Thou with Thy hand didst drive out the nations, and didst plant them in; Thou didst break the peoples, and didst spread them abroad.

uprooting and crushing the nations, then planting and settling them. For it wasn’t their own sword that won them the land,

3 For not by their own sword did they get the land in possession, neither did their own arm save them; but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou wast favourable unto them.

it was not their own arm that brought them the victory. Yours was the hand and the arm, yours was the face that shone on them with favor.

4 Thou art my King, O God; command the salvation of Jacob.

It was you, my king and my God, that ordained the victories of Jacob.

5 Through Thee do we push down our adversaries; through Thy name do we tread them under that rise up against us.

Through you we can thrust back our foes, and by your name tread down our assailants:

6 For I trust not in my bow, neither can my sword save me.

for not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword win me the victory.

7 But Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to shame that hate us.

Our victory comes from you, and confusion to those who hate us.

8 In God have we gloried all the day, and we will give thanks unto Thy name for ever. (Selah)

In God we boast all the day long, and your name will we praise forever. (Selah)

9 Yet Thou hast cast off, and brought us to confusion; and goest not forth with our hosts.

Yet you have spurned and disgraced us, in not going forth with our armies,

10 Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary; and they that hate us spoil at their will.

and in making us flee from the foe, so that those who hated us plundered us.

11 Thou hast given us like sheep to be eaten; and hast scattered us among the nations.

You have let us be eaten like sheep, you have scattered us over the world,

12 Thou sellest Thy people for small gain, and hast not set their prices high.

sold your people for a pittance, and getting no gain from their price.

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

You have made us the butt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of all round us.

14 Thou makest us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

O’er the world you have made us a byword, the nations at us shake their heads.

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

My disgrace is forever before me, my face is covered with shame,

16 For the voice of him that taunteth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and the revengeful.

at the words of blasphemer and scoffer, at the sight of the foe and the vengeful.

17 All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten Thee, neither have we been false to Thy covenant.

All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you nor falsely dealt with your covenant.

18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Thy path;

Our heart has not turned back, nor our steps declined from your way,

19 Though Thou hast crushed us into a place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

that you thus should have crushed us down, and covered us over with gloom, in the place where the jackals roam.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread forth our hands to a strange god;

Had we forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a god that was strange,

21 Would not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.

would God not have searched this out? For he knows the heart and its secrets.

22 Nay, but for Thy sake are we killed all the day; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

But in your cause it is we are killed all the day, and counted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arouse Thyself, cast not off for ever.

Rouse yourself, why do you sleep Lord? Awake, cast us not off forever.

24 Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

Why do you hide your face, forgetting our stress and our misery?

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

For we have sunk down to the dust, our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for Thy mercy's sake.

Arise, come to our help: for your love’s sake, ransom us.