Psalms 44

1 `To victorie, lernyng to the sones of Chore. God, we herden with oure eeris; oure fadris telden to vs. The werk, which thou wrouytist in the daies of hem; and in elde daies.

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 Thin hond lost hethene men, and thou plauntidist hem; thou turmentidist puplis, and castidist hem out.

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

3 For the children of Israel weldiden the lond not bi her swerd; and the arm of hem sauyde not hem. But thi riyt hond, and thin arm, and the liytnyng of thi cheer; for thou were plesid in hem.

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 thi silf, my kyng and my God; that sendist helthis to Jacob.

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

5 Bi thee we schulen wyndewe oure enemyes with horn; and in thi name we schulen dispise hem, that risen ayen vs.

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

6 For Y schal not hope in my bouwe; and my swerd schal not saue me.

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

7 For thou hast saued vs fro men turmentinge vs; and thou hast schent men hatinge vs.

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

8 We schulen be preisid in God al dai; and in thi name we schulen knouleche to thee in to the world.

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

9 But now thou hast put vs abac, and hast schent vs; and thou, God, schalt not go out in oure vertues.

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

10 Thou hast turned vs awei bihynde aftir oure enemyes; and thei, that hatiden vs, rauyschiden dyuerseli to hem silf.

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

11 Thou hast youe vs as scheep of meetis; and among hethene men thou hast scaterid vs.

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

12 Thou hast seeld thi puple with out prijs; and multitude was not in the chaungyngis of hem.

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

13 Thou hast set vs schenschip to oure neiyboris; mouwyng and scorn to hem that ben in oure cumpas.

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

14 Thou hast set vs into licnesse to hethene me; stiryng of heed among puplis.

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

15 Al dai my schame is ayens me; and the schenschipe of my face hilide me.

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

16 Fro the vois of dispisere, and yuele spekere; fro the face of enemy, and pursuere.

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

17 Alle these thingis camen on vs, and we han not foryete thee; and we diden not wickidli in thi testament.

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

18 And oure herte yede not awei bihynde; and thou hast bowid awei oure pathis fro thi weie.

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

19 For thou hast maad vs lowe in the place of turment; and the schadewe of deth hilide vs.

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

20 If we foryaten the name of oure God; and if we helden forth oure hondis to an alien God.

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

21 Whether God schal not seke these thingis? for he knowith the hid thingis of herte.

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

22 For whi we ben slayn al dai for thee; we ben demed as scheep of sleyng.

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

23 Lord, rise vp, whi slepist thou? rise vp, and putte not awei in to the ende.

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

24 Whi turnest thou awei thi face? thou foryetist oure pouert, and oure tribulacioun.

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

25 For oure lijf is maad low in dust; oure wombe is glued togidere in the erthe.

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

26 Lord, rise vp thou, and helpe vs; and ayenbie vs for thi name.

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