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 end, a Psalm for instruction, for the sons of Core. O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, the work which you wrought in their days, in the 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.

Your hand utterly destroyed the heathen, and you did plant them: you did afflict the nations, and cast them out.

3 For they did not get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them.

For they inherited not the land by their [own] sword, and their [own] arm did not deliver them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, because you were well pleased in them.

4 You are my King, my God, who commands victories for Jacob.

You are indeed my King and my God, who command deliverances for Jacob.

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

In you will we push down our enemies, and in your name will we bring to nothing them that rise up against us.

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

For I will not trust in my bow, and my sword shall not save me.

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

For you have saved us from them that afflicted us, and have put to shame them that hated us.

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

In God will we make our boast all the day, and to your name will we give thanks for ever. (Pause)

9 But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor, and do not go out with our armies.

But now you have cast off, and put us to shame; and you will not go forth with our hosts.

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

You have turned us back before our enemies; and they that hated us spoiled for themselves.

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

You made us as sheep for meat; and you scattered us among the nations.

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

You have sold your people without price, and there was no profit by their exchange.

13 You make us the taunt of our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision them that are round about us.

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

You have made us a proverb among the Gentiles, a shaking of the head among the nations.

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

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

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

because of the voice of the slanderer and reviler; because of the enemy and avenger.

17 All this has come on us, yet have we not forgotten you, Neither have we been false to your covenant.

All these things are come upon us: but we have not forgotten you, neither have we dealt unrighteously in your covenant.

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

And our heart has not gone back; but you have turned aside our paths from your way.

19 Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

For you have laid us low in a place of affliction, and the shadow of death has covered us.

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

If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have spread out our hands to a strange god; shall not God search these things out?

21 won't God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

for he knows the secrets of the heart.

22 For your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

For, for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for slaughter.

23 Wake up. Why do you sleep, LORD? Arise. Do not reject us forever.

Awake, therefore sleep you, O Lord? arise, and do not cast [us] off for ever.

24 Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?

Therefore turn you your face away, [and] forget our poverty and our affliction?

25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our body cleaves to the earth.

For our soul has been brought down to the dust; our belly has cleaved to the earth.

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

Arise, O Lord, help us, and redeem us for your name's sake.