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 music director. A psalm (maskil) of the sons of Korah. God, we have heard with our own ears—our forefathers have told us—all you did in their times, long ago.
2 Thou, [with] Thy hand, nations hast dispossessed. And Thou dost plant them. Thou afflictest peoples, and sendest them away.
Through your power you drove out the other nations so you could settle our ancestors there; you defeated the nations and you sent our ancestors to occupy the land.
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.
They did not conquer the land using their swords; it was not through their own strength that the victory was won—it was by your strength, your power, and your presence with them, because you loved them.
4 Thou [art] He, my king, O God, Command the deliverances of Jacob.
God, you are my King; command victories for Jacob!
5 By Thee our adversaries we do push, By Thy name tread down our withstanders,
Only through you can we repel our enemies; only in your name can we defeat our opponents.
6 For, not in my bow do I trust, And my sword doth not save me.
I do not trust my bow; I do not have confidence in my sword to save me.
7 For Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And those hating us Thou hast put to shame.
You are the one who saves us from our enemies; you defeat those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted all the day, And Thy name to the age we thank. (Selah)
God, we proudly thank you all day long, and praise your name forever. (Selah)
9 In anger Thou hast cast off and causest us to blush, And goest not forth with our hosts.
But now you have rejected and disgraced us; you no longer accompany our armies.
10 Thou causest us to turn backward from an adversary, And those hating us, Have spoiled for themselves.
You made us run from our enemies, and those who hate us have taken whatever they wanted.
11 Thou makest us food like sheep, And among nations Thou hast scattered us.
You have handed us over like sheep to be slaughtered; you have scattered us among the other nations.
12 Thou sellest Thy people — without wealth, And hast not become great by their price.
You have sold your own people for next to nothing, making no profit on the sale.
13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a reproach to our surrounders.
You have made a mockery of us before our neighbors, we are ridiculed and laughed at by those around us.
14 Thou makest us a simile among nations, A shaking of the head among peoples.
You have made us a joke to the other nations; they scornfully shake their heads at us.
15 All the day my confusion [is] before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me.
We are humiliated all day long; we hold our heads in shame,
16 Because of the voice of a reproacher and reviler, Because of an enemy and a self-avenger.
because of all the insults from the people mocking us, because our vengeful enemies are right in front of us.
17 All this met us, and we did not forget Thee, Nor have we dealt falsely in Thy covenant.
All this has happened to us even though we didn't forget you; we haven't been unfaithful to the promises we made to you.
18 We turn not backward our heart, Nor turn aside doth our step from Thy path.
We have not turned away from you, not in thought, nor in action.
19 But Thou hast smitten us in a place of dragons, And dost cover us over with death-shade.
Even so, you crushed us, and made us into a jackal's den. You have covered us with the darkness of death.
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 worshiped other gods,
21 Doth not God search out this? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.
wouldn't God have been aware of this, because he knows everyone's thoughts?
22 Surely, for Thy sake we have been slain all the day, Reckoned as sheep of the slaughter.
But because of you we are killed all day long; we're considered just sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Stir up — why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Awake, cast us not off for ever.
Lord, wake up! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don't turn your back on us forever!
24 Why Thy face hidest Thou? Thou forgettest our afflictions and our oppression,
Why do you look away from us and take no notice of our suffering and misery?
25 For bowed to the dust hath our soul, Cleaved to the earth hath our belly.
We lie ruined in the dust, our bodies face down in the dirt.
26 Arise, a help to us, And ransom us for thy kindness' sake.
Stand up! Come and help us! Save us because of your trustworthy love!
