Psalms 44

1 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,

To the chief Musician. Of the sons of Korah. An instruction. O God, with our ears have we heard, our fathers have told us, the work thou wroughtest in their days, in the days of old:

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

Thou, by thy hand, didst dispossess the nations, but them thou didst plant; thou didst afflict the peoples, but them didst thou cause to spread out.

3 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 favour.

For not by their own sword did they take possession of the land, neither did their own arm save them; but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst delight in them.

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

Thou thyself art my king, O God: command deliverance for Jacob.

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

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

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

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

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

For thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to shame that hate us.

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

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

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

But thou hast cast off, and put us to confusion, and dost not go forth with our armies;

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

Thou hast made us to turn back from the adversary, and they that hate us spoil for themselves;

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

Thou hast given us over like sheep [appointed] for meat, and hast scattered us among the nations;

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

Thou hast sold thy people for nought, and hast not increased [thy wealth] by their price;

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

Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a mockery and a derision for them that are round about us;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Though thou hast crushed us in the place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

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

If we had forgotten the name of our God, and stretched out our hands to a strange god,

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

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

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

But for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are reckoned as sheep for slaughter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rise up for our help, and redeem us for thy loving-kindness' sake.