Psalm 44- 1
- Psalm 44 For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. [1]
- 1
- We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.
- 2
- With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish.
- 3
- It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
- 4
- You are my King and my God, who decrees [2] victories for Jacob.
- 5
- Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.
- 6
- I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;
- 7
- but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.
- 8
- In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah
- 9
- But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.
- 10
- You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.
- 11
- You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.
- 12
- You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.
- 13
- You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.
- 14
- You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.
- 15
- My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame
- 16
- at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
- 17
- All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.
- 18
- Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
- 19
- But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.
- 20
- If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
- 21
- would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?
- 22
- Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
- 23
- Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
- 24
- Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?
- 25
- We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
- 26
- Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.
- [Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- [4] Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; command