Psalms 44

1 For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. A contemplative psalm. We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us what work you did 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 You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you 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 they didn’t get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favourable to 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 God, you are my King. Command victories for Jacob!

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

5 Through you, we will push down our adversaries. Through your name, we will tread down those who rise up against us.

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

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

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

7 But you have saved us from our adversaries, and have shamed those who hate us.

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

8 In God we have made our boast all day long. We will give thanks to your name forever. (Selah)

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

9 But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonour, and don’t go out with our armies.

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

10 You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take plunder for themselves.

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

11 You have made us like sheep for food, and have scattered us amongst the nations.

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

12 You sell your people for nothing, and have gained nothing from their sale.

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

13 You make us a reproach to our neighbours, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.

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

14 You make us a byword amongst the nations, a shaking of the head amongst the peoples.

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

15 All day long my dishonour is before me, and shame covers my face,

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

16 at the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses, because of the enemy and the avenger.

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

17 All this has come on us, yet we haven’t forgotten you. We haven’t been false to your covenant.

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

18 Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path,

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

19 though you have crushed us in the haunt 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 have forgotten the name of our God, or spread out 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 won’t God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

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

22 Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded 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 Wake up! Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise! Don’t reject us forever.

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

24 Why do you hide your face, and forget 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 body clings to the earth.

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

26 Rise up to help us. Redeem us for your loving kindness’ sake.

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