Psalm 44

Psalm 44

For the choir director; a maskil by Korah’s descendants. 

¹O God, 

we have heard it with our own ears. 

Our ancestors have told us 

about the miracle you performed in their day, 

in days long ago. 

²By your power you forced nations ⸤out of the land⸥, 

but you planted our ancestors ⸤there⸥. 

You shattered many groups of people, 

but you set our ancestors free.^a

³It was not with their swords that they took possession of the land. 

They did not gain victory with their own strength. 

It was your right hand, your arm, 

and the light of your presence ⸤that did it⸥, 

because you were pleased with them. 

⁴You alone are my king, O God. 

You won those victories for Jacob. 

⁵With you we can walk over our enemies. 

With your name we can trample those who attack us. 

⁶I do not rely on my bow, 

and my sword will never save me. 

⁷But you saved us from our enemies. 

You put to shame those who hate us. 

⁸All day long we praise our God. 

We give thanks to you forever. 

Selah 

⁹But now you have rejected and disgraced us. 

You do not even go along with our armies. 

¹⁰You make us retreat from the enemy. 

Those who hate us rob us at will. 

¹¹You hand us over to be butchered like sheep 

and scatter us among the nations. 

¹²You sell your people for almost nothing, 

and at that price you have gained nothing. 

¹³You made us a disgrace to our neighbors 

and an object of ridicule and contempt to those around us. 

¹⁴You made our ⸤defeat⸥ a proverb among the nations 

so that people shake their heads at us. 

¹⁵All day long my disgrace is in front of me. 

Shame covers my face 

¹⁶because of the words of those who insult and slander us, 

because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. 

¹⁷Although all of this happened to us, 

we never forgot you. 

We never ignored your promise.^b

¹⁸Our hearts never turned away. 

Our feet never left your path. 

¹⁹Yet, you crushed us in a place for jackals 

and covered us with the shadow of death. 

²⁰If we forgot the name of our God 

or stretched out our hands to pray to another god, 

²¹wouldn’t God find out, 

since he knows the secrets in our hearts? 

²²Indeed, we are being killed all day long because of you. 

We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered. 

²³Wake up! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? 

Awake! Do not reject us forever! 

²⁴Why do you hide your face? 

Why do you forget our suffering and misery? 

²⁵Our souls are bowing in the dust. 

Our bodies cling to the ground. 

²⁶Arise! Help us! 

Rescue us because of your mercy!