Psalms 44

1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us the work You did in their days, in the days of old.

2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and didst plant them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.

3 For they obtained not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thy arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour to them.

For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.

4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob.

5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name we will tread them under that rise up against us.

Through You we repel our foes; through Your name we trample our enemies.

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

For I do not trust in my bow, nor does my sword save me.

7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

For You save us from our enemies; You put those who hate us to shame.

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

In God we have boasted all day long, and Your name we will praise forever.

9 But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

But You have rejected and humbled us; You no longer go forth with our armies.

10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.

You have made us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have plundered us.

11 Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for food; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

You have given us up as sheep to be devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.

12 Thou sellest thy people for nothing, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

You sell Your people for nothing; no profit do You gain from their sale.

13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are around us.

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.

14 Thou makest us a by word among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.

15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face,

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

at the voice of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy, bent on revenge.

17 All this is come upon us; yet we have not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten You or betrayed Your covenant.

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

Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.

19 Though thou hast greatly broke us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

But You have crushed us in the lair of jackals; You have covered us with deepest darkness.

20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

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

would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?

22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.

24 Why hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?

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

For our soul has sunk to the dust; our bodies cling to the earth.

26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.

Rise up; be our help! Redeem us on account of Your loving devotion.