Psalm 42–44

BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42a,b

For the director of music. A maskilc of the Sons of Korah.

1 As the deerf pants for streams of water,g

so my soul pantsh for you, my God.

2 My soul thirstsi for God, for the living God.j

When can I gok and meet with God?

3 My tearsl have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”m

4 These things I remember

as I pour out my soul:n

how I used to go to the house of Godo

under the protection of the Mighty Oned

with shouts of joyp and praiseq

among the festive throng.r

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?s

Why so disturbedt within me?

Put your hope in God,u

for I will yet praisev him,

my Saviorw and my God.x

6 My soul is downcast within me;

therefore I will remembery you

from the land of the Jordan,z

the heights of Hermona—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deepb

in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

have swept over me.c

8 By day the Lord directs his love,d

at nighte his songf is with me—

a prayer to the God of my life.g

9 I say to God my Rock,h

“Why have you forgotteni me?

Why must I go about mourning,j

oppressedk by the enemy?”l

10 My bones suffer mortal agonym

as my foes tauntn me,

saying to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”o

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.p

Psalm 43a

1 Vindicate me, my God,

and plead my causeq

against an unfaithful nation.

Rescue mer from those who are

deceitful and wicked.s

2 You are God my stronghold.

Why have you rejectedt me?

Why must I go about mourning,u

oppressed by the enemy?v

3 Send me your lightw and your faithful care,x

let them lead me;y

let them bring me to your holy mountain,z

to the place where you dwell.a

4 Then I will gob to the altarc of God,

to God, my joyd and my delight.e

I will praise you with the lyre,f

O God, my God.

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.g

Psalm 44a

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.b

1 We have heard it with our ears,h O God;

our ancestors have told usi

what you did in their days,

in days long ago.j

2 With your hand you drove outk the nations

and plantedl our ancestors;

you crushedm the peoples

and made our ancestors flourish.n

3 It was not by their swordo that they won the land,

nor did their arm bring them victory;

it was your right hand,p your arm,q

and the lightr of your face, for you loveds them.

4 You are my Kingt and my God,u

who decreesc victoriesv for Jacob.

5 Through you we push backw our enemies;

through your name we tramplex our foes.

6 I put no trust in my bow,y

my sword does not bring me victory;

7 but you give us victoryz over our enemies,

you put our adversaries to shame.a

8 In God we make our boastb all day long,c

and we will praise your name forever.d d

9 But now you have rejectede and humbled us;f

you no longer go out with our armies.g

10 You made us retreath before the enemy,

and our adversaries have plunderedi us.

11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheepj

and have scattered us among the nations.k

12 You sold your people for a pittance,l

gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproachm to our neighbors,n

the scorno and derisionp of those around us.

14 You have made us a bywordq among the nations;

the peoples shake their headsr at us.

15 I live in disgraces all day long,

and my face is covered with shamet

16 at the tauntsu of those who reproach and revilev me,

because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.w

17 All this came upon us,

though we had not forgottenx you;

we had not been false to your covenant.

18 Our hearts had not turnedy back;

our feet had not strayed from your path.

19 But you crushedz us and made us a haunt for jackals;a

you covered us over with deep darkness.b

20 If we had forgottenc the name of our God

or spread out our hands to a foreign god,d

21 would not God have discovered it,

since he knows the secrets of the heart?e

22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheepf to be slaughtered.g

23 Awake,h Lord! Why do you sleep?i

Rouse yourself!j Do not reject us forever.k

24 Why do you hide your facel

and forgetm our misery and oppression?n

25 We are brought down to the dust;o

our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Rise upp and help us;

rescueq us because of your unfailing love.r